‘Hotel Rwanda’ director ‘excited’ to film new action movie in Saudi Arabia’s NEOM

Academy Award-winning screenwriter and ‘Hotel Rwanda’ director Terry George will shoot an action movie titled ‘Riverman’ in Saudi Arabia’s NEOM.

The movie, which will depict events from the war in Afghanistan, will feature the landscape of the northwest Saudi megaproject NEOM – a futuristic $500 billion mega business and tourism project in the Kingdom and a key part of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030.

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Parts of the movie will also be filmed in the UK.

“‘Riverman’ is a powerful, highly dramatic war story. I am excited to be directing this great project in NEOM,” George was quoted as saying in a statement shared with the media.

Last year, NEOM announced the formal operational opening of NEOM Media Village and Bajdah Desert Studios, comprising the Kingdom’s most prominent sound stages and film production support facilities.

NEOM also formally announced an over 40 percent cash rebate production incentive scheme for feature films, TV (drama, reality, documentaries) and commercials, with producers able to secure a higher percentage based on their industry development contributions.

“We are thrilled to welcome acclaimed writer and director Terry George to NEOM to shoot his upcoming action feature ‘Riverman,’” Wayne Borg, Managing Director of Media Industries, Entertainment, and Culture at NEOM, was quoted as saying in the same statement. “The production team’s confidence in NEOM is a real testament to our world-class offering of state-of-the-art facilities, great crews, the sheer breadth of diverse locations, and our globally competitive [over] 40 percent production cash rebate incentive.”

The film will retell the true events of the war in Afghanistan that unfolded from 2001 to 2008 through the story of Max – a highly decorated Royal Marine who is tempted into the corrupt forces at work behind warfare.

According to information shared, the story goes: After a series of devastating events in Afghanistan, Max is plunged into a world more dangerous than the battlefield itself. Disillusioned with the politics of war, Max is recruited by a private arms dealer to supply weapons to private armies around the world; a company with the power to manipulate wars and sway the outcomes of global conflicts. Despite being trained to cope with the deadliest situations on Earth, nothing can prepare Max for the high-stakes world of arms dealing.

Future Artists Entertainment will lead the production under Matt Williams, Camilla Storey of TMS Productions, and producer Mark Foligno of Limelight CTL.

According to the statement, casting has begun with principal photography set for January 2024. NEOM is expected to facilitate the production with sound stages, production support facilities, talent and crews.

The Saudi megaproject has been featured as the backdrop for 30 productions in the last 18 months, including; Rupert Wyatt’s ‘Desert Warrior,’ starring Anthony Mackie and Sir Ben Kingsley, ‘Dunki’ directed by Rajkumar Hirani and starring Shahrukh Khan, the first regional reality TV show ‘Million Dollar Island’ and ‘Rise of The Witches’, the region’s biggest-ever budget TV show.

Meanwhile, MBC’s ‘Exceptional,’ a 200-episode-a-year TV drama series, is set to begin shooting at the location in July.

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