Director Simon West (Con-Air, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, The Expendables) is taking on a new project that will be filmed at Neom’s Bajdah Studios. The Saudi Arabia-set epic drama, Antara, will be an English-language blockbuster based on Arab history. It will tell the tale of Antara ibn Shaddad, a slave warrior who was propelled to mythical status in the sixth century after winning his freedom and becoming a beloved knight and a widely celebrated Bedouin poet in the region.
Production on the film is scheduled to start in early 2024 and will last for 12 weeks. Casting on Antara is being kept under wraps. Variety reports that the film will tap into Neom’s 40%-plus cash rebate for productions and will provide its new soundstages and accommodation facilities, as well as local talent and crews. The film will be based at Neom’s state-of-the-art Bajdah Studios.
Neom boasts breathtaking landscapes of canyons, desert and a long stretch of unspoiled Red Sea coastline. Neom, which is in the Tabuk province, is also the site of a futuristic city that is rapidly being built.
West said in a statement:
“Bringing the story of Antara ibn Shaddad to the big screen and the masses is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to continue his legend, the life of Antara is one of those relatively little-known true stories that prove that fact can be so much stranger than fiction.”
We will bring you more information on the story as the film project develops.
