Christmas movies about characters who make a pilgrimage to rural American looking for home, redemption or a fresh start have become a staple of the holiday season.
But "The One" movie now filming in Oklahoma actually is based on a real-life yuletide event in the Sooner State city of Enid.
Primetime Emmy Award winner Martin Sheen ("The West Wing," "Apocalypse Now"), actress and country singer Jana Kramer ("One Tree Hill," "Friday Night Lights") and actor Nick Zano ("DC's Legends of Tomorrow," "Obliterated") are leading the cast of "The One" and will join the production in January.
The inspirational faith-forward film also stars Olivia Sanabia ("Homestead," "Just Add Magic") and introduces Noah Redclay as the main character, Hawk.
Based around the Enid Christmas celebration The One, the story follows a Native American teenager who ages out of the foster care system and uses his one train ticket out of Chicago to travel to Oklahoma on a quest to see the tallest Christmas tree in the United States.
"'The One' is not your typical Christmas movie. ... It deals with some pretty difficult topics, including PTSD, loss of cultural identity, and really tackles our broken foster system head-on," said Erin Elizabeth Cook, the film's Oklahoma City-based writer, in an email.
"The film is strewn with surprise comedic characters and twists and turns that will not only open eyes to the plight of our foster system, but also remind us of the true meaning of Christmas."
A Yukon native, Cook also is acting in "The One," as well as producing it with Adam Ropp.
"As a producer, I am honored to tell a story that highlights the challenges and triumphs within thefoster care system in the United States," Ropp said in a statement. "My hope is that this film sparks meaningful conversations and greater awareness about the children and families it affects."
The cast also includes Oklahoma actors Ben Hall ("Killers of the Flower Moon," "Minari"), Leah N.H. Philpott ("Hell Hath No Fury," "Country Gold"), P.J. Sosko ("The Girls on the Bus," "The Equalizer"), Bruce Davis ("All Eyez On Me," "The Vast of Night") and James Austin Kerr ("Queen of the South," "Reagan").
Directed by Lisa Arnold ("Bringing Back Christmas," "One Nation Under God"), "The One" began shooting in December in Guthrie, with Academy Award nominee Garry Waller ("Poltergeist II: The Other Side") leading the camera team.
Rock band We the Kings are contributing a new single, "Are You Here?," inspired by the forthcoming children's book of the same name, to the movie. Jenny Robinson-Clark, the wife of lead singer Travis Clark, wrote the song.
Both the song and the book will be released in early 2025, and We the Kings will tour North America with Avril Lavigne in May and June.
Described as a "music-centric film," "The One" is funded through private equity, according to a news release. It also will use the state's production incentives under the Filmed In Oklahoma Act of 2021.
In addition to Guthrie, filming is expected to take place in OKC, Spencer and Enid, according to the Oklahoma Film + Music Office.
"How many holiday movies are set in fictitious small towns? 'The One' is different. It's set in Enid and showcases Enid. People familiar with Enid will recognize several of the scene locations," Rob Houston, director of Visit Enid, told The Oklahoman.
"Erin is from Oklahoma, and we're fortunate she chose to create a holiday movie close to home."
"The One" is slated to wrap production in late January in Enid. The heartwarming Christmas movie is expected to be released next November for the 2025 holiday season.
"Those who know nothing about Enid will see the holiday magic our downtown creates year after year, and I hope it will entice some to visit our city," Houston told The Oklahoman. "Plus, if 'The One' remains in a holiday movie rotation for years to come, that's even more exposure for Enid."
The One is a free, multi-event holiday experience at 150 W Park Ave. in Enid. The centerpiece is The Christ Tree, a 102-foot steel tree with a 20-foot bright Bethlehem star.
The tree is decorated with nearly 35,000 lights choreographed to Christmas music, with showtimes at the top of each hour from 6 p.m. to midnight daily through Jan. 5.
When organizers launched The One in 2021, their plan was to build the event around what was billed as the world's tallest fresh-cut Christmas tree. After high winds toppled part of the 140-foot-tall Douglas fir at the inaugural event, they switched to an oversized artificial tree in 2023.
For more information on The One event, go to https://www.theoneenid.com and https://www.facebook.com/TheOneEnid.