‘Con Air’ Director Simon West Units Swords-and-Sandals Epic ‘Antara,’ Will Shoot in Saudi Arabia’s Neom

Simon West, the director of Con Air, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and The Expendables 2, has set his subsequent film.

Based mostly on a real story, swords-and-sandals epic Antara will observe Antara ibn Shaddad, a slave within the sixth century who received his freedom and have become a knight and probably the most well-known poets in historical Arabia. The movie can be set towards the backdrop of the Neom area in northwest Saudi Arabia and is co-produced by author and producer Alexander Amartei. Celtic Arabia’s Stuart Sutherland (Killing Eve, Born A King, The Man Who Fell To Earth), can also be a co-producer and not too long ago co-produced Kandahar, starring Gerard Butler, within the Kingdom.

Manufacturing in Neom, house to a proposed $500 billion megacity, is scheduled for 12 weeks to start in early 2024, based mostly at Bajdah Studios and tapping into the area’s 40 p.c money rebate program.

“Bringing the story of Antara ibn Shaddad to the massive display and the lots is actually a once-in-a-lifetime alternative to proceed his legend,” mentioned West. “The lifetime of Antara is a type of comparatively little-known true tales that show that truth will be a lot stranger than fiction. The chance to movie within the homeland of the Banu Abs tribe means we’ll preserve true to the piece while serving to to develop the rising movie business within the area. It’s a undertaking I’m thrilled to be concerned with, and I’m wanting ahead to creating one thing distinctive for a worldwide viewers.”

Antara will observe within the footsteps of Rupert Wyatt’s Desert Warrior, starring Antony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Sharlto Copley and Ben Kingsley, which grew to become the largest Hollywood characteristic to shoot in Neom again in 2021.

“We’re excited to work with Neom to convey the primary nice swords-and-sandals epic since Troy and Gladiator to the world,” mentioned Amartei. “As Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon marked an entire paradigm shift for Chinese language cinema, we see Antara as a cultural extravaganza that can be an entire recreation changer within the area and dazzle the world in a lavishly creative and complex approach.”

With Butler’s Kandahar — which launched earlier this 12 months — and the upcoming Desert Warrior, the information of Antara marks one other signal of Hollywood productions slowly shifting in the direction of Saudi Arabia, which is investing closely to place itself as a significant capturing vacation spot.