Bethlehem native Dan Roebuck returned to the Lehigh Valley in August to begin filming “The Hail Mary,” his third project to be shot entirely in the area.

The actor and director said he loves the Lehigh Valley for many reasons.

“The place, its beauty, the art, the food - but mostly, the people here are special,” Roebuck said. “And Northampton, with the seminary, the diner and the Alliance bar, had everything I needed.”

Filming for the movie began July 20 and is set to end Aug. 20 at various locations throughout the Valley, but the lion’s share of it took place at Mary Immaculate Seminary, 300 Cherryville Road, Lehigh Township.

“The location was all encompassed. We did our outdoor scenes, our classroom scenes, our cafeteria scenes, everything was right there. It was so perfect,” said Beth Clausnitzer, producer and extras casting director on the project.

Other Northampton locations included Alliance Fire Company, 717 Washington Ave., for the bar scene and Northampton Diner and Family Restaurant, 1205 Main St., for the diner scene.

“Northampton has been amazing, I’ll say that for sure. They’ve been more than generous,” Clausnitzer said.

Northampton’s own Tony Pristash, who met Roebuck three years ago at a Phantoms hockey game, acted as borough liaison. He said he was happy to help out because Roebuck is “just the nicest guy in the world. He makes you feel like a million bucks.”

Roebuck said he had some history with the seminary as a student attending Bethlehem Catholic High School. He remembered going there for “about four hours a couple of afternoons” and being impressed with its beauty.

When he learned the site was available for filming, he announced “The Hail Mary” in March 2020 at the Roxy Theatre, 2004 Main St. Northampton. Days later, the state was shut down because of COVID-19.

He was afraid he would lose the location, referring to owner David Jaindl’s plan to turn the seminary property into a spa, resort and event center, but as it turned out, COVID-19 shut down everything, including Jaindl’s plans.

Instead of letting the pandemic stop him, Roebuck switched gears to begin work on a much smaller local production called “Lucky Louie,” which he felt was manageable even with all the restrictions. He credits St. Luke’s University Health Network, a sponsor, with keeping them safe during that filming stint.

Come summer of 2021, the seminary was still available.

“The Jaindls have been just great to work with,” Roebuck said.

And so began the monthlong filming of the much-awaited “The Hail Mary.”

The movie is about a man in need of redemption who is convinced by a nun at an all-boys school to start and coach a football team at the school. Roebuck’s production company hires many local cast and crew members, including the 26 boys who are the football players.

“Most of them are film or theater majors who have never even put on a football helmet before, but I am so proud of them! They became a team and actually look pretty good out there,” Clausnitzer said.

“I kind of took them on as my kids,” she continued. “I’ve been with them for the past month, and I answer questions and have been sort of a mom to them.

“It’s been hard; it’s been very long days, sometimes 12 hours a day,” Clausnitzer said, “so they’ve been very busy and very tired, but they’ve been lovely to work with. They are great kids.”

She said she told them they would be happy in the end and asked them when would they get another opportunity to work on a feature film.

“The Hail Mary” is the second film produced through A Channel of Peace, Roebuck’s faith-based not-for-profit production company out of Bethlehem. They were formed out of Roebuck’s alarm at the level of violence coming out of Hollywood. He felt it was time for a return to something more wholesome the entire family could enjoy that didn’t preach faith and included a bit of humor.

A Channel of Peace habitually hires locals and encourages anyone to apply.

“It’s not what you know, it’s who you know,” said Mike Roy, a behind-the-scenes photographer. “We can teach you how to do anything, but you have to be the right fit with the rest of the crew. Dan will interview you personally to make sure you fit in.”

“The Hail Mary” is expected to premiere sometime in 2022 or 2023. In the meantime, Roebuck is already working on his next idea.

“I’ll always find something to film here,” Roebuck said, “as long as I have the backing of the people in the Valley.”