Tucson – (KVOA) The sun is far from setting in Old Tucson.

“It’s a great feeling that we’ve brought all this history to this park and know it’s in the present,” said old Tucson historian John Scott. I am starting over.”

Old Tucson has a reel of history with hundreds of productions in both film and television.

“I came here as a kid and loved this place and never thought I would end up working here,” said Scott. “So actually coming to work here every day is like stepping back in time.”

The Southwestern filmmaking staple has halted production during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. Last October, American Heritage Railways leased this desert oasis from Pima County and the phone started ringing again.

A film that cannot be named at this time has just finished production on this lot for the first time since the transition.

With a renewed interest in filming in Old Tucson, it feels like a new beginning.

“They brought in gangbusters,” said John Madinski, manager of Old Tucson Entertainment. It’s a great value to keep our rich history alive.”

“When the movie Arizona came out in 1940, it had a huge impact on Tucson, Arizona, and Arizona as a whole,” said Scott. “Major movies have been shot here.”

83 years after the first movie was shot in the iconic studio, it’s ready for action once again.

An old Tucson staffer tells News 4 Tucson that two more films will begin production later this spring.