"Assad" Lands New Release Date

Egyptian actor Mohamed Ramadan's much-anticipated film "Assad" (Lion) has landed a new release date.

Originally set for the 2026 Eid al-Fitr movie marathon before relocating to summer of 2026, the historical epic will now open Egypt on May 14 and across the Middle East on May 21.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Mohamed Ramadan (@mr1)

Written and directed by Mohamed Diab, "Assad" is set in 1280 AD in the Mamluk era and features Ramadan portraying Ali bin Muhammad Al-Farsi, who is sold in the slave market and later leads the revolution against the Abbasid army.

The official synopsis reads: "Set in the shadows of 19th-Century Egypt, the saga of Assad unfolds—a slave carrying a hardened defiance deep within his soul. The drama ignites when a forbidden and secret love blossoms between him and a free woman, effectively declaring war on the entire system of power. However, the struggle transcends love and revolution when Assad robbed of the dearest thing he owns. His silent defiance transforms into a furious revolt. Assad leads slaves in a massive, brave, and irreversible confrontation, where the destiny of their collective freedom rests entirely upon his resilience."

The cast also includes Maged El Kedwany,  Razane Jammal, ‎Aly Kassem, Ahmed Dash, and more.

The pic marks Ramadan's second venture into the history genre, after starring in 2017's "The Treasure" and its follow-up, 2019's "The Treasure 2: Love and Destiny", both directed by Sherif Arafa.

"Assad" took three years to prepare for and led to Ramadan's absence from the small screen due to the film's complexity and time frame.

He made his last appearance on the small screen in the 2023 TV series "Gaafar El Omda," which succeeded greatly during its premiere.