The Clearwater Marine Aquarium announced today that production of a movie based on its most famous resident will begin filming in Pinellas County on Sept. 27.

A Dolphin's Tale, based on the heartwarming story of Winter the dolphin, will continue production through mid-December, primarily at the sealife sanctuary. The release is tentatively planned for 2011.

Aquarium CEO David Yates added that A Dolphin's Tale will be filmed in 3D.

"Today is a great day for Clearwater and all of Pinellas County," Yates said.

A Dolphin's Tale will be produced by Alcon Entertainment and distributed by Warner Bros., which collaborated on the Academy Award winning The Blind Side. Warners and Alcon also teamed on The Book of Eli starring Denzel Washington.

“We are very excited to bring this inspiring true story to the big screen – like The Blind Side , it fits squarely into the type of movie Alcon enjoys to make,” Alcon’s co-founders and co-CEO’s Andrew Kosove and Broderick Johnson said through a news release.

Yates said the aquarium has a confidential agreement with Alcon for compensation in exchange for cooperation. He also expects a significant boon to Pinellas County tourism.

"Financially, we have some compensation," he said. "But the biggest way (that) we and the area benefit is that tourists will come into the area. We expect our attendance (at the aquarium) to double and potentially triple in the first year. The good news is: (tourists) stay in our hotels, eat in our restaurants, fill up at our gas stations. It cycles throughout the economy, so the economic impact will be very strong.

"History has shown that films with specific locations have a long-term impact on the economy... We expect this to be the largest single tourist promotion in our area's history"

The deal to film A Dolphin's Tale was likely sealed after the Florida legislature recently approved a $53.5 million tax incentive program to attract TV and film productions to the state. That bodes well for local actors and craft workers since only money spent by the production that stays in Florida is eligible for the tax break, up to $8 million per production.

Pinellas County film commissioner Jennifer Parramore said her office's business model estimates that a mid-sized production like A Dolphin's Tale can pump up to $125,000 into the local economy each day of production.

No budget was announced for the production, with Yates preferring that information coming from Alcon sources. Alcon publicist Tony Angellotti said the company generally doesn't disclose such numbers.

Pinellas County locations outside the aquarium -- including a private residence, a beach area and open waters -- are still being secured. No actors have been cast yet except Winter -- who will play herself -- and her head trainer Abby Stone, who has a wordless role in the movie in order to stay near the dolphin.Yates said they are the only two actors currently signed to the production.

Yates spoke to reporters above the ice skating rink at Westfield Countryside Shopping Center, which is circled by a recently installed mural devoted to Winter's story and appearances at the aquarium. Among the onlookers were A Dolphin's Tale consultant and famed underwater filmmaker Ricou Browning, and unit production manager Jim Bigham of Miami, who is serving as the production's liaison with the Florida state film commission.

Winter made international headlines in 2006 after she lost her tail after being tangled in a crab trap off the coast of Cape Canaveral. The Clearwater Marine Aquarium took her in, and scientists later attached a newly devised prosthetic tail. The dolphin's story has become an inspiration to many, including children with amputated limbs.

The technology has been adapted to provide prosthetic limbs for soldiers injured in war.

Read the St. Petersburg Times assembled coverage here.

A Dolphin's Tale is reported to blend Winter's true saga with a fictional boy named Sawyer (as yet uncast) who befriends her. Yates said characters "loosely based" on himself and Stone are included. Charles Martin Smith wrote the screenplay and is hired to direct.

Yates said more casting announcements are expected in the next few days, as Alcon negotiates with "major stars" to join the production. "I expect to see many well-known names in the film," he said. "I just can't tell you who they are."

Smith previously directed Air Bud, another family-friendly animal story, and is better known as an actor. Smith played "Terry the Toad" in 1973's American Graffiti, and a member of the Crickets in The Buddy Holly Story.

“Winter has been so inspirational to so many people, it’s an honor to be able to bring her story to the screen,” Smith said in a news release from the aquarium.Winter's factual story was detailed in the child's book Winter’s Tail: How One Little Dolphin Learned to Swim Again, and in the film Winter: The Dolphin that Could, sold online.

At the end of his remarks, Yates was asked if Winter has made any movie star demands, like her own trailer.

"Here's the good thing about that," Yates said. "I'm her agent, so I'm in good shape there.

"Seriously, the good news is: Winter is having fun but the process of filming itself is completely, utterly under the trainer's control. If (Winter) decides she doesn't want to film for a day, guess what? We won't film for a day."

Yates said another news conference will be held, possibly as soon as next week, at the aquarium with more information. 

(Photos by Jim Damaske and Google.com)