In the fight to land the Micky Ward movie, Nicholas Paleologos sounds ready to score the bout a knockout for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the city of Lowell.

“I’m confident we’ll get the movie. The only question is when,” says Paleologos. “Right now, it looks like the Fall of 2008 is the likely start time. But with movies, a timeline is like New England weather. If you don’t like it, just wait a minute and it’ll change.”

As Executive Director of the Massachusetts Film Office, it’s Paleologos’ job to woo Paramount Pictures. He’s been flying back and forth to Los Angeles frequently since assuming the position in January of 2007 and believes he’s making progress based on the latest conversations with studio executives.

But more than just a job, bringing The Fighter to the place where the story unfolded is somewhat of a personal quest. Paleologos’ grandparents grew up in the Acre and he comes back to visit often, so he’s well aware of what the Mill City has going for it.

“It would be a shame not to shoot in Lowell, especially when it offers so many options,” says Paleologos. “I’m working hard to convince them they’ll get more bang for their buck here.”

For his part, Ward says “there’s no doubt the movie should be done here,” and appreciates Paleologos’ efforts. While the former Junior Welterweight Champion is not involved in talks with Paramount, he is in contact with Mark Wahlberg and screenwriter Scott Silver and gets the impression they also prefer the movie be shot here.

If the quest to land the flick ultimately proves successful, much of the credit belongs to another Lowellian. Paleologos says discussions with Paramount got the ball rolling on the recently passed tax relief legislation to make Massachusetts a more attractive destination to film a movie, but it was State Senator Steve Panagiotakos who made the bill a reality.

“With passage of this law, Massachusetts became the first or second most desirable state in the U.S. to shoot a movie,” said Paleologos, himself a former State Representative for 14-years. “Steve’s tireless work not only led to getting the legislation approved, but to rushing it through at an amazing pace, unheard of in this state.”

Panagiotakos shares Paleologos’ confidence in the movie ultimately being filmed in Massachusetts, though he says Lowell’s role is still in question. According to the Senator, one of the concerns is “finding a 25,000-50,000 square foot commercial property where a sound stage can be built and leased for six months.” He’s calling on any local realtors who have such a property, perhaps a vacant supermarket or warehouse, to contact Paleologos at the Massachusetts Film Office. “Absent that, the bulk of the movie will have to be shot elsewhere and the actors won’t be coming to Lowell.”

Paleologos also knows a thing or two about putting a production together. After leaving the state legislature in 1990, he went on to win a pair of Tony Awards for his work on Broadway as well as an Emmy nomination in 1997 for the HBO film In the Gloaming, which was directed by Christopher Reeve. His feature film credits include Quiz Show, Mississippi Burning and Ghosts of Mississippi.

That experience brings an understanding of how beneficial landing a major motion picture can be for a community. With Mark Wahlberg set to star as Micky and Brad Pitt reportedly close to signing on as Dickie Ecklund, The Fighter will likely have a $100-million budget. Paleologos says that’s worth “tens of millions of dollars to the region, perhaps up to $50-million when you consider salaries for local crews, production facilities, hotels, taxis and restaurants.”

Those figures don’t even take into account the long-term financial impact. The film industry spawns companies like Boston Movie Tours, which take visitors to locations where other feature films were shot. “And just look at Cheers,” says Paleologos. “It’s still one of the most popular stopping spots all these years after that show went off the air.”

Granted, the marquee names in this production would be Wahlberg, Pitt and Ward. But if film crews take over the cobblestone streets sometime next Fall, you can bet Lowell will be a place where everybody knows Nick Paleologos’ name as well.