CLEMSON – Clemson’s going Hollywood.

Or more accurately, Hollywood’s going Clemson.

Filming will begin Sunday on a Disney Studios production that will share the life story of former Clemson football player Ray Ray McElrathbey.

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Filming will continue on campus locations for a week, culminating with scenes being shot at halftime of Clemson’s game against Charlotte on Sept. 21 at Memorial Stadium.

“We’ll be shooting all around campus – iconic places like the Esso Club, the reflection pond in front of the library, the old (Jervey) gym,” said Mark Ciardi, the film’s producer, in an exclusive interview with The Greenville News and Anderson Independent Mail. “Anybody that went to Clemson, they’re going to be like, ‘Oh my gosh!’

“We’re trying to tie in some great elements that the people from Clemson would know. That’s good to do for the alums and anybody who cares about the school.”

Much of the remaining filming will take place in Atlanta, where McElrathbey grew up and attended Mays High School.

The movie, titled "Safety," is based on the life of McElrathbey, who while a student and player at Clemson assumed custody of his then-11-year-old brother, Fahmarr, in 2006. Their mother was in drug rehab and their father was not present in their lives.

The NCAA granted a waiver that allowed Clemson coaches, staff and others in the community to assist McElrathbey with daily duties such as providing rides to and from school for Fahmarr as well as allowing the university to set up a trust fund for Fahmarr’s care. That fund received more than $46,000 in donations within the first two weeks of its creation.

McElrathbey, a defensive back, played in every game as a member of special teams in the 2006 season and had four tackles against Florida Atlantic in the season-opening game. That game will be replicated and be the subject of filming during halftime on Sept. 21.

Ciardi said plans include filming the team running down the hill as well as executing a kickoff and two defensive plays.

“We won’t really have a lot of time, but we’re going to make great use of it and keep people in their seats and have them go crazy and react to the plays,” Ciardi said. “It’s like a military operation. We’re timing everything down to the second.

“They shot at halftime during the movie 'Rudy,' and those scenes are iconic in that film because you can’t replicate what it’s like at a live game. We want to really show how great these fans are at Death Valley.”

Ciardi, a former pitcher at the University of Maryland who once pitched against Clemson at Doug Kingsmore Stadium and later “had a cup of coffee” in the major leagues with the Milwaukee Brewers, has produced several sports-themed films, including "The Rookie" (2002), "Invincible" (2006), "Secretariat" (2010) and "Million Dollar Arm" (2014).

The McElrathbey story has simmered in Ciardi's mind for 12 years.

“I just loved it,” Ciardi said. “It became this thing that was just so emotional. Sports is a great backdrop. It should never be about the sport or the event; it’s really about the emotional connection and typically it’s an underdog story, right? So you’re always overcoming something in these stories, whether it’s 'Invincible' or 'Miracle' or the 'The Rookie.' All of these stories have that common thread of tremendous underdogs.

“In Ray Ray’s case, here’s a kid whose whole life is in front of him and he finds out his brother is about to go into foster care and he chooses, obviously, his family and protecting his brother. He’s in a situation where he’s juggling school and sports and really, fatherhood – a 19-year-old kid who has gained custody of his brother, and that’s a pretty remarkable story.”

McElrathbey moved to running back prior to Clemson’s trip to the Music City Bowl in 2006 but tore a knee ligament in fall camp in 2007. He graduated Clemson in 2008 and transferred to Howard University and ultimately Mars Hill College, where he played his final season.

Casting for the film nor a release date have been revealed, but after the week-long stint at Clemson, filming will continue in Atlanta until Nov. 15. McElrathbey has spent much of the past year in Los Angeles, serving as a consultant for the film, and will be on hand in both Clemson and Atlanta over the next couple of months.

The film will be directed by Reginald Hudlin, whose credits include "House Party" (1990), "Django Unchained" (2012) and "Marshall" (2017).

The film potentially could be complete by year’s end and will debut on Disney+, which Ciardi described as being “Disney’s answer to Netflix.” The Disney+ video subscription service is set to launch on Nov. 12.

“Here it is,” Ciardi said. “You work on those things for years and then here it comes and then it’s gone. It all happens in about a year, from start of prep to finished movie.

“These things are always like giving birth to something, and it’s a great process. It’s a long and arduous one, but the results are usually pretty unique and fantastic.”