Robe prefers to make TV movies about real people that are painstakingly accurate, such as “Guts and Glory: The Rise and Fall of Oliver North” and “Murder Ordained,” the story of Emporia minister Tom Bird and his lover, Lorna Anderson, who conspired to kill their spouses so they could be together.

His latest effort, “The Princess and the Marine,” follows suit. The $5 million movie, which will air at 8 p.m. Sunday on NBC, is based on the story of U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Jason Johnson and Bahraini princess Meriam Al-Khalifa a story that captured international headlines about a year ago.

“It’s quite remarkable,” Robe said, during a phone interview from his Los Angeles office. “As it’s rendered, the movie is quite true.”

In November 1999, Al-Khalifa sneaked out of her family’s mansion in Bahrain, dressed as a man and carrying a forged military I.D. and orders. She met Johnson, her lover, and they boarded a commercial flight to the United States. They got as far as Chicago before they were apprehended and the princess was taken into custody.

She spent three days in jail and was released after declaring that she wanted to seek asylum in the United States.

The couple were married in Las Vegas, and Johnson was court-martialed for his part in helping Al-Khalifa enter the country illegally.

“(The movie’s) about a woman who risked a lot to leave the oppression of her homeland. I thought (the story) was thought-provoking and interesting. I thought it was a latter-day ‘Romeo and Juliet,'” he said.

Robe said the couple was on the set throughout the movie’s filming, which was done during 3 1/2 weeks last October in Los Angeles and Palm Springs, Calif.

“We asked them lots of questions,” he said.

In addition, Robe gleaned information about the case from the Arab Anti-Defamation League, the U.S. Marine Corps, libraries and the Internet.

Robe, who earned a bachelor’s degree in 1966 and a master’s degree in 1968 from KU, continues to maintain strong ties with the university. He sits on the Professional Advisory Board for the department of theater and film.

“While we were shooting in L.A., Chancellor (Robert) Hemenway dropped by,” Robe added.

“We were shooting in a mansion in Beverly Hills and were recreating a henna party it’s part of a Muslim wedding procedure. I’ve been trying for years to explain (to him) just what it is I do, so that was good.”

Robe’s future projects include “Montana 1984,” an independent film he will begin shooting this year; a biography of Wild Bill Hickok for the A&E channel; and a Civil War movie for CBS.