JEDDAH: The Saudi-shot action-thriller “Desert Warrior” came home for its Middle East debut at this month’s Red Sea International Film Festival after making its global premiere at the Zurich Film Festival in September.
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The movie, set in seventh-century Arabia, marks a major milestone for MBC Studios, which bills “Desert Warrior” as the most expensive feature film made in Saudi Arabia — with a reported budget of $150 million. It’s also the first major title to be shot at NEOM. Filming also took place in Tabuk.
“Desert Warrior” is directed by British filmmaker Rupert Wyatt, whose credits include “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” and “The Mosquito Coast.” Wyatt co-wrote the screenplay with Erica Beeney, David Self and four-time Oscar nominee Gary Ross.
With an ensemble cast including Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Sharlto Copley, Ghassan Massoud, and Oscar-winner Sir Ben Kingsley, the film blends historical drama with all-out action and has a narrative centered on one of the Arab world’s most compelling early heroines.
