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inside saudi arabia's 'desert warrior': $150M epic still not ready for battle
anthony mackie and ben kingsley movie has been delayed for three years by creative issues during post-production |
Desert Warrior was unveiled in 2021 as a rallying cry for Saudi Arabian filmmaking. Starring Captain America’s Anthony Mackie and Oscar-winner Sir Ben Kingsley, the $150M epic was set up by Riyadh media giant MBC to project a vision of ancient Arabia to the world, inspire a new generation of local storytellers, and entice other Hollywood blockbusters to run their hands through the Gulf’s golden sands.
Yet three years on from shooting in Saudia Arabia, Desert Warrior remains something of a mirage as MBC has not yet delivered on its stated ambition of a festival premiere and theatrical release. Sources say a final cut is yet to be locked by director Ruper Wyatt, who exited and then returned to the project amid creative fissures, negative audience testing, and reservations in Hollywood.
Those tasked with shepherding Desert Warrior acknowledge that the movie has been in a limbo state. But they remain confident that Saudi Arabia’s big cinema swing is back on track and will deliver a worthy spectacle for Arab and American audiences alike. After conversations with more than a dozen people, Deadline has learned the inside story of Desert Warrior’s troubled trek to the screen — and why it remains a tantalizing prospect for the region. >>>Hope For 2025 Sale |
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Death For Art's Sake - Natalie Portman and Jenna Ortega are in talks to star in The Gallerist, with Cathy Yan on board to direct. Yan co-wrote the pic with James Pedersen. The film follows a desperate gallerist who conspires to sell a dead guy at Art Basel Miami. >>>Portman Also Producing
Back In The Saddle - Armie Hammer, who hasn’t acted in more than three years following sexual assault allegations, is set to return to a film set with western Frontier Crucible. The film also stars Thomas Jane and it is produced by Dallas Sonnier (Bone Tomahawk ). Filming of the independently financed film is due to start next month in Arizona. Hammer’s A-list Hollywood career was derailed in 2021 when multiple women came forward with claims of abuse. Authorities ultimately declined to pursue criminal charges against him, citing insufficient evidence. >>>Period Piece
Casting ‘Raider’ - In what is shaping up to be one of the hottest TV casting searches this fall, Amazon MGM Studios has assembled a wishlist of accomplished young actors for the role of Lara Croft in Tomb Raider, Prime Video’s high-profile series adaptation of the video game franchise from Emmy-winning Fleabag creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge. >>>Sophie Turner & Lucy Boynton To Test
Can ‘Red’ Make Green? - Amazon MGM Studios‘ next big swing, the $200M Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans Santa Claus caper movie Red One, landed on tracking recently. The holiday release is eyeing a $36M opening in the U.S. and Canada with a chance for upside. Director Jake Kasdan's reteam with his Jumanji franchise star Johnson opens November 15. >>>Pivoted From Streaming
Fair Streaming Share - British TV vets Adrian Wills and Simon Brown are on a mission to help producers, talent and agents pick up a greater slice of the pie from the streamers. The pair, who have several decades of experience between them working for the likes of BBC Studios and UKTV, are working closely with analysis firm Digital-i via their fledgling consultancy. They say they have developed a formula to broadly work out how much certain shows are worth to a streaming service in terms of monetary value. >>> How Content Valuation Service Works Wayans Brothers Reunion - The Scary Movie reboot announced at CinemaCon has finally come together, with the franchise’s architects reuniting for the first time in 18 years for a new original screenplay. The new Scary Movie, written and produced by the Wayans and Rick Alvarez, will shoot next year for a theatrical release. >>> Falls Under Paramount’s First Look With Miramax
New Path For ‘Presumed Innocent’ - Like other successful limited series that have became ongoing ones following their breakout success, Apple TV+‘s legal thriller Presumed Innocent did not have a blueprint for a second season. Season 1 was based on Scott Turow’s bestselling novel of the same name, but Season 2 is taking a completely different path with a female lead, Leila Reynolds. >>> ‘Dissection Of A Murder’ Set To Serve As Inspiration
Doc Talk Of The Bay - SFFILM’s Doc Stories this year featured a taping of Deadline’s Doc Talk podcast, hosted by Oscar winner John Ridley and Deadline’s Matt Carey. They chatted with Anne Lai, executive director of SFFILM, and the organization’s Director of Programming, Jessie Fairbanks, about the state of the documentary film industry as well as SFFILM and Doc Stories’ role supporting the field and the careers of established and emerging filmmakers. >>> Listen
Angel Takes On Rule Breakers - Sound of Freedom outfit Angel Studios has picked up domestic rights to Rule Breakers (formerly known as Afghan Dreamers), starring Nikohl Boosheri (The Bold Type) and Ali Fazal (Death on the Nile). A theatrical release is planned for March 2025 of the true story about the first all-girls robotics team from Afghanistan. >>> Phoebe Waller-Bridge Joins Cast
It Takes GUTS - Olivia Rodrigo spent most of the year touring her sophomore album, GUTS, putting on more than 100 performances in 22 countries. As her Netflix concert film launches on Netflix, she told Deadline about experiencing her show from an outside perspective for the first time. >>>Filmed At L.A.'s Intuit Dome
In Brief - Virgin River EP Roma Roth to adapt Thunder Point novels... BBC calls AI study accusing it of “pattern of bias” against Israel “unreliable and unproven”... China Oscar submission ruled ineligible... Behind the scenes of Wizards Beyond Waverly Place |
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Another killer has been caught in Hulu's Only Murders in the Building, and they’re ready to reveal all their juicy secrets. After a twisting and turning Season 4 plot full of possible suspects from Kumail Nanjiani’s Rudy to Molly Shannon’s Bev Melon, Sazz (Jane Lynch)'s murderer turned out to be someone she had previously worked with and a true jack of all trades. In an interview with Deadline, the actor playing the killer unpacks how they found out what character they were playing in the show, balancing the comedy and drama of their role and other details such as which stunts they did and did not do. Note, the interview includes major Season 4 spoilers. >>>Read The Interview |
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QUOTABLE
“I think it's in the rearview mirror. I do.” - Ian Somerhalder on his acting career |
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Jessica Chastain, Brendan Fraser and Bryan Cranston have joined Al Pacino in the mystery thriller Assassination . The film will be directed by Barry Levinson from a script by David Mamet, Levinson and Sam Bromell. It offers up a new take on the JFK conspiracy, centering around Kilgallen (Chastain), one of the most famous voices in media at the time.
Fresh off acclaimed genre pic The Substance, Margaret Qualley has been set to star in period psychological horror-thriller Victorian Psycho, which Anton is launching ahead of next week’s American Film Market. Zachary Wigon (Sanctuary) is directing from a script by author Virginia Feito (Mrs. March), based on her upcoming novel of the same name.
Ansel Elgort has signed on to star in survival thriller Faster Than Horses, directed by Emmy-nominee James Erskine and produced by British adventurer Bear Grylls. Inspired by a true story and based on an article by Hampton Sides, it follows a former Olympic runner who attempts a return to glory in the world’s toughest footrace — the Marathon des Sables in the Sahara Desert — but finds himself in a battle for survival.
Téa Leoni has joined the cast of Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building for Season 5, sources close to production confirm to Deadline. Leoni appears in the final minutes of the Season 4 finale as Sofia Caccimelio, wife of Nicky “The Neck” Caccimelio, a missing person with ties to the Caputo crime family mentioned previously in Episode 9 this season.
Thomas Jane is among cast set for western Frontier Crucible, which is due to get underway next month in Monument Valley and Prescott, Arizona. Dallas Sonnier’s outfit Bonfire Legend is behind the film, which will also see the return to film acting of Armie Hammer. The film will be directed by Travis Mills and adapted from the 1961 western novel Desert Stake-Out by Harry Whittington.
House of the Dragon star Eve Best and The Penguin's Carmen Ejogo are leading Wild Cherry, the new name of Mood creator Nicôle Lecky's BBC thriller series.
Australian celebrity chef Matt Moran will explore the personal lives of Richard Roxburgh, Pia Miranda and more in SBS food-meets-history series Memory Bites. BBC Studios will be shopping it internationally. |
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BY THE NUMBERS
100 - Percentage of family interest that David Ellison — not his father, Oracle chairman and billionaire Larry Ellison — will hold in Paramount Global once the Skydance deal closes |
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More News 🌆 Sean Baker’s Cannes Palme d’Or-winning Anora from Neon nabbed a leading four Gotham Award nominations on Tuesday, including Best Feature, Best Director, Outstanding Lead Performance for Mikey Madison and Outstanding Supporting Performance for Yura Borisov.
🎭 The strong (well, some of them) got stronger on Broadway last week even as the overall box office trended slightly downward, with 28 productions on the 36-show roster reporting receipt dips. Wicked, however, topped the chart once again with a stellar $2.2M+ gross.
🏆 Megalopolis helmer Francis Ford Coppola is set to receive the American Film Institute‘s 50th Life Achievement Award, AFI’s highest honor for a career in film, during a Gala Tribute at the Dolby Theatre in L.A. on April 26, 2025.
📹 Advertising revenue at YouTube reflected the video giant’s recent momentum, rising 12% in the third quarter compared with the year-ago period. The performance of YouTube helped its corporate parent, Alphabet, post total revenue growth of 15% in the quarter to reach $88.3B. Most media companies will be reporting quarterly numbers over the next two weeks, with YouTube setting a high bar in terms of advertising.
💬 Snap shares jumped after earnings as the company saw third quarter revenue rise 15% to over $1.37B, beating Wall Street estimates. Daily active users rose 9% to 443 million, and total time spent watching content increased 25% year-over-year, the social media company said. The net loss for the three months ended in September narrowed by over half.
🎙 Andrea Mitchell said that she will be departing her daily MSNBC show after the inauguration, but will continue as NBC News’ chief foreign affairs correspondent and chief Washington correspondent, reporting for the NBCU platforms.
🤝 Two M&A deals out of the UK today, with ITV Studios buying Professor T and The Couple Next Door indie Eagle Eye Drama and Zinc Media Group acquiring blue lights specialist Raw Cut Television. |
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On the Radar
Wed - World Series Game 5
Thu - Halloween; Comcast, Apple and Amazon earnings; The Diplomat Season 2 premiere on Netflix
Fri - Artios Awards nominations (except film); Dia de los Muertos; World Series Game 6 (if necessary)
Sat - World Series Game 7 (if necessary) |
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Second 'Silo' - Common, Tim Robbins and Steve Zahn attended the Silo Season 2 world premiere at Picturehouse Central in London last night. The second run of Apple TV+ sci-fi series debuts on November 15.
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