MUSKEGON, MI - A hometown legend and worldwide icon is about to be memorialized once again on screen.

"Buster Keaton: Home," a documentary film on the early life of Keaton, is expected to interest national and local audiences.

The documentary is being produced by the same company that made "Up from the Bottoms: The Search for the American Dream," which aired nationally on PBS for three years. Clear Vision Films is working on the Keaton project with the Lakeshore Museum Center.

Focusing on Keaton's years on the road as a young vaudeville star, summers he spent in Muskegon and the experiences that helped shape him, the film will chronicle his early life.

Keaton walked from a vaudeville stage onto a movie screen at the age of 21. He eventually became one of the most influential filmmakers in the history of cinema.

Keaton died in 1966 at the age of 70.

Tucked away between Lake Michigan and Muskegon Lake, Keaton spent summers 1908-1916 at the "Actor's Colony" in the Bluffton neighborhood of Muskegon, along with other famous vaudevillians.

By the late 1920s, Keaton was among the top movie stars and one of the most recognizable - and wealthiest - faces in the world.

Even now, his films rank high in sales around the world and several are on the Library of Congress's National Film Registry, including:

Sherlock Jr. (1924) (star and director)

The General (1927) (star)

Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928) (star and director)

The Cameraman (1928) (star and director)

Love Finds Andy Hardy (1938) (cameo)

Sunset Boulevard (1950) (cameo)

Keaton was an actor, writer, director and producer.

Pre-production for "Buster Keaton: Home" began over a year ago, bringing together a group of historians, filmmakers and community leaders.

Primary production began during May 2017 with interviews in the Los Angeles area, including one with Keaton's friend and fellow actor, James Karen.

In Muskegon, Clear Vision Films teamed up with Ron Pesch, a local historian and Keaton expert who leads walking tours of Bluffton.

During the first week of October, Keaton scholars and fans from around the world were in Muskegon for the 23rd annual Buster Keaton Convention, and the film team conducted more interviews, filmed Pesch's walking tour and shot b-roll of the event.

Since 1995, the International Buster Keaton Society has visited Muskegon to celebrate Keaton's life and influence on cinematic and comedic senses; and his career that shaped generations of filmmakers. Keaton acknowledged Muskegon's impact on his artistic aesthetic throughout his career.

The star was memorialized in 2010 with the installation of a life-size bronze statue in front of the Frauenthal Center downtown Muskegon.

2017 is the 100-year anniversary of Keaton's entry to the big screen. His first appearance was in "The Butcher Boy" (1917).

"Buster Keaton: Home" will tell the story of how vaudeville and Muskegon shaped Keaton into the icon that he became.

"Throughout his life, Keaton called Muskegon home," according to a news release.