As movie fans in New Jersey wait for theaters to reopen, the movie industry is also looking to get back into production after the COVID-19 shutdown.

Several major motion pictures, including the Oscar-winning movie “Joker,” Steven Spielberg’s remake of “West Side Story” and the “Sopranos” prequel movie, were filmed in New Jersey just prior to the shutdown.

And then, “Everything came to a crashing halt,” says New Jersey Motion Picture and Television Commission executive director Steven Gorelick.

But Gorelick says that he anticipates big budget TV and movie shoots to resume in the Garden State this fall.

“We are expecting ABC, NBC, CBS all to be back here doing TV series, as well as Hulu, Amazon and Netflix of course,” he says.

The pandemic is expected to cause some changes to the production process, with labor unions, producers and studio executives ironing out the safety protocols. These may include daily COVID-19 testing for principal cast and crew, restricted sets and scheduling to minimize attendance on the set.

“Looking at protocols and what’s required, it will probably take a little bit longer to make the average TV show or feature film and you have to figure that into your budget and schedule,” Gorelick says.

Gorelick says that the TV and film industry generated $400 million in economic activity in New Jersey last year.