Move over, Seth, Viggo and Julianne. Another movie is in town, and it has local writers -- KDKA Radio host Larry Richert and actor John Mowod (son of jazz host Tony Mowod) -- along with a story that will take advantage of the horses and heavenly scenery at the Meadows racetrack and nearby.

Yesterday was the first day of shooting on "Shannon's Rainbow," an inspirational family drama starring Julianne Michelle as a grieving teen who discovers both the mother she never knew and love for a hobbled horse, Rainbow.

Claire Forlani plays her mom, and the cast also includes Daryl Hannah, Michael Madsen, Eric Roberts, Charles Durning, Steve Guttenberg, Stephen Colletti, Jason Gedrick and a pair of fillies as Rainbow.

Hannah, dressed in a white T-shirt, melon-colored sweater and casual pants with sandals, yesterday ducked out of her trailer at Ohio Valley General Hospital in Kennedy to chat. She has a weakness for animal stories and a farm sanctuary with rescued horses, alpacas, chickens and other creatures great and small.

This was her first trip to town, prompting Richert to joke, "We brought Daryl Hannah to Pittsburgh," although she mainly got to see the inside of a hospital, where she plays a therapist. When Michelle appeared, in hospital gown and bracelet, Hannah said, "This little one's phenomenal" and gave her some tips about bonding with horses.

"Shannon's Rainbow" was inspired by Mowod watching his brother, Joe, rehabilitate an injured horse named Keystar, who went on to race and win in Lexington, Ky. "He loved the horse; he just wanted the horse to be able to walk in a field," Mowod recalled.

Richert picked up the story from there: "So, nine years ago, one of my best friends, whose name is Jeff Gardner, was acting with John in Ohio, and they had become friends, and he introduced me to John." Mowod and Gardner collaborated on a treatment or outline of the movie.

"But tragically, my friend was killed," Richert said. "I did the eulogy at his funeral, and John came to me afterward and said, 'Larry, I'd like you to write this screenplay with me that Jeff and I were going to do.'"

They spent 14 months writing the film, which takes its name from Jeff's oldest daughter. "Rainbow, the horse, is a metaphor for what happens after this darkness," both on and off screen. The movie will be dedicated to Gardner.

One of Larry's brothers, David, is a cameraman in Los Angeles who passed along the script to director Frank E. Johnson, now part of SummitWorks LLC, making the movie with Supernova Media. The writers fought to keep the movie here, and the state's tax incentive program sealed the deal.

Charles Morrison of SummitWorks said the movie, which counts Oscar-nominated cinematographer Dean Cundey among the crew, will shoot until July 25. He hopes it will arrive in theaters before Christmas once distribution is secured.

His movie mission: "We're focusing on good, wholesome, entertaining, engaging films. ... Our concept is, when you take your kids to the movies, you're not going to be cringing in your seat, you're not going to be embarrassed to be with them."