Residents of Paterson, N.J.  on Monday welcomed director Steven Spielberg to the Garden State as he worked on scenes for his  “West Side Story” remake, near city hall.

Spielberg checked out storefronts that had been transformed to look like New York in the late 1950s.

Word is that The Boss, Bruce Springsteen, showed up on the movie set, and guess what, a well known figure in the fight game will also be going Hollywood.

WBO 130 pound champ Jamel “The Fighting Marine” Herring (20-2, 10 knockouts) heard they were looking for a boxer, and threw his hat in the ring, he told us.

The flick is slated for release on Dec. 18, 2020. The movie, which will be distributed by Walt Disney Studios, is an adaptation of the “Romeo and Juliet”-inspired 1957 musical. A film of the same name came out in 1961, was the second highest grossing movie of that year, and garnered ten Academy Award wins.

If you were a fan of Natalie Wood, or of musicals, or had older sisters in the 70s and 80s, you perhaps saw the film, as I did.

So, did Herring? Has the fighting pride of Coram, Long Island seen the original? Has he been walking around humming bits of “America” or maybe “Tonight?” And talk to us about casting; is he a Jet, or a Shark, or what?

“They were looking for a boxer, for a certain scene and that’s when I got a call for the part,” the 33 year old hitter said. “Didn’t shoot yet. Going out to Brooklyn next week for a day to do the wardrobe fitting, and the day of the shoot takes place on the 4th.”

OK, so, will he be dancing?

“I believe they’re mimicking the original. Luckily for me, I’m just in a scene that contains boxing,” he said, chuckling.

OK, last question…be honest…has he seen the original?

“Yeah, my father loves that movie,” the boxer said, with a grin.