"Desert Warrior" to World Premiere at Zurich Film Festival

Saudi Arabia’s first Hollywood-style tentpole movie “Desert Warrior” is finally set to bow at the Zurich Film Festival following a long gestation.

The period action epic with a hefty $150 million budget is helmed by British director Rupert Wyatt (“Rise of the Planet of the Apes”) and features a top notch international cast led by “Captain America” star Anthony Mackie, Ben Kingsley and Aiysha Hart (“Mogul Mowgli,” “Colette”).

The September 28 Zurich gala will be attended by the film’s talents, according to a statement.

Shot in 2021 in a scenic desert area around the site of the futuristic city of NEOM “Desert Warrior,” which is set in a pre-Islamic 7th-century Arabia when Saudi Arabia was made up of rival, feuding tribes forever at each other’s throats, has since been caught in a seemingly endless tempest of reshoots, recuts, and infighting.

In the epic Emperor Kisra (Kingsley) has a reputation for being utterly ruthless. So when the Arabian princess Hind (Hart) refuses to become Kisra’s concubine, the stage is set for an epic confrontation after she escapes into the desert and puts her trust in mysterious Bandit (Mackie) with whom she rallies the previously warring tribes to take on Kisra’s enormous army.

“Desert Warrior,” which is produced by Saudi-owned powerhouse MBC Studios with U.S. producer Jeremy Bolt (“Resident Evil”) has been touted as a testament to Saudi Arabia’s ambition to produce high-end content for global audiences.

Amid turbulence following the shoot, Rupert Wyatt had been taken off the project by MBC but was subsequently reinstated on the project.

The blockbuster is supported by the Saudi Film Commission through the country’s cash rebate which supports both Saudi and international film productions, and by the so-called Quality of Life program that contributes to fostering the future of Saudi’s film industry.

AGC International, the international sales and distribution arm of AGC Studios, is handling world sales.