Locals may have the opportunity to see popular actors and former Disney stars Hilary Duff and Kevin Zegers this summer.

Director Tonya S. Holly, who operates Cypress Moon Productions in Sheffield, is expected to begin shooting the feature film “The Story of Bonnie and Clyde” in April with Duff (a recording artist and former star of “Lizzie McGuire”) and Zegers (star of “Air Bud”) as the title characters.

“It’s very exciting to have Hilary Duff signed on as Bonnie,” Holly said in a recent telephone interview. “And Kevin Zegers is going to be great.”

Duff also has starred in “Cheaper By the Dozen” and “Raise Your Voice;” Zegers’s credits include “Transamerica” and “The Jane Austen Book Club.”

While the majority of the film will be shot in Louisiana and Mississippi, Holly hopes to film some scenes in north Alabama. That goal will be made easier by the state Legislature’s recent passage of incentives for filmmakers, a cause Holly has championed since founding the Alabama Filmmakers Association in 1991.

Others signed to star in the film are Richard Tyson as Bob Alcorn; Rance Howard (father of Ron who recently appeared in “Frost/Nixon”) as Clyde’s father Henry Barrow; David Fralick as Big Ed Crowder; and Natalie Canerday as Mrs. Methvin.

Parts still to be cast include those of Blanche and Buck Barrow; Bonnie’s mother, Emma; Clyde’s mother, Cumie; and Ralph Fults. Holly is in negotiations with a popular young actor to play Fults but cannot make an announcement until he is signed, she said.

“Hopefully I’ll be making some announcements soon,” she said.

Holly is writer, producer and director of the film. She emphasizes that “The Story of Bonnie and Clyde” is not a remake of the 1967 film starring Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty, but her own version of the story of the doomed couple.

A synopsis of the film on the Web site cypressmoonproduction.com states: “Bonnie Parker wanted something different … something exciting. Clyde Barrow wanted to be remembered. When their worlds collided, the rest became history … ‘The Story of Bonnie and Clyde’ begins with a love that cannot be broken, but Clyde’s love of money and excitement and his fear of returning to the Texas prison system leads them both into a world of violence. The story unravels, revealing a love story that has surpassed the decades.”

Holly and her staff are currently working on distribution of the film for theatrical release, which Internet Movie Database, www.imdb.com, lists as sometime in 2010.

She hopes to begin filming April 14 in St. Francisville, La., then move to Alexandria, Norwood and Jackson, La., she said, depending on actors’ schedules.

“I’m working with a lot of actors’ schedules,” Holly said. “It’s like putting a puzzle together with all these different actors at the times and locations we need them.”

Subsequent scenes will be filmed in Woodville, Natchez, Greenwood and Philadelphia, Miss., and later in Alabama.

Filming should take about eight weeks.

The film is set from 1930 to 1934 and Holly has been gathering period cars and set decorations. She is currently interviewing costumers, she said. The film will likely include a mix of vintage costumes and those sewn for the characters.

Holly previously wrote and directed the award-winning film, “When I Find the Ocean,” which starred Lee Majors and Diane Ladd.

“When I Find The Ocean,” available in video stores, won the top award at the KidsFirst! Film Festival for 2008 Best Independent Feature Ages 12-18, among other honors.

It also stars Graham Greene (“Dances With Wolves”), Richard Tyson (“Kindergarten Cop”), George Lindsey (“The Andy Griffith Show”), Bernie Casey (“Another 48 Hours”), and Amy Redford (“The Guitar”) and introduces Lily Matland Holly, Holly’s daughter.