Saudi on Screen: The Kingdom emerges as a newfound cinematic playground

Until recently, Hollywood's perception of the Arabian Peninsula was largely confined to Jordan, with one particular location stealing the spotlight.

Since David Leen's monumental Lawrence of Arabia in 1962, Wadi Rum has stood out as the preferred destination for expansive sand dunes, whether depicting terrestrial landscapes or otherworldly realms. This iconic location has graced the silver screen for a diverse selection of productions, ranging from live-action Aladdin to The Martian, two Star Wars spin-offs, and the adaptations of Dune.

However, since 2017, all this has changed.

Saudi has not only opened its doors to the film-making industry but has actively pursued it, engaging in promotional efforts and infrastructure development. This strategic move has successfully lured productions from around the world, including the key American film market.

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What visiting crews find today - along with the welcome - is a landscape that viewers have barely seen. From the multi-hued deserts and magnificent monuments of AlUla in the north and ancient settlements of Jeddah in the west, to the modern cityscape of Riyadh, the country provides novel scenery that stands on its own, or alternatively stands in for those territories film makes can't yet reach.

Gone are the days when Saudi-set films like A Hologram for the King starring Tom Hanks, were filmed in Morocco. More significant though, is where the next sci-fi epic or action franchise is headed. For producers in the league of Bond and John Wick, the Kingdom's debut on the global screen is definitely one to closely monitor.

Malcolm X

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This 1992 biopic of the American civil rights activist marked the inception of Saudi's film boom. While the majority of the film was shot in the US, scenes of Malcolm X's Hajj were filmed in Makkah, the first time the Holy City had appeared in a non-documentary style film, let alone an American-made film. Director Spike Lee had to fight hard to convince the studio that location shooting was necessary, and subsequently fought for the permission to film in the city. As a non-Muslim however, Lee was not able to supervise the filming personally, so the shoot was eventually conducted by two units, one in 1990 and the other in 1991.

Desert Warrior

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For this historical saga, director Rupert Wyatt, fresh from Rise of the Planet of the Apes, filmed in the Tabuk province around NEOM. Starring Anthony Mackie as a 7th century nomadic warrior and the British-Saudi actress Aiysha Hart as the princess he rescues, the shoot took three months of filming in the desert and along the Red Sea coast. This was the first feature film to be based in the region which is set to become the country's chief filming hubs, with soundstages and production facilities on tap for those attracted by the combination of mountain, sea and desert. Already set for early 2024, is the release of Riverman, which will be a Terry George directed film.

Kandahar

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This 2003 action film, starring gruff hardman Gerard Butler, used Saudi as a stand-in for Afghanistan, but took things up a gear by the film shooting entirely in the Kingdom. Following Butler's CIA agent character, Tom Harris, and his Afghan translator Mo (Navid Negahban) as they attempt to flee from the country after their cover is blown, it took many large scale location shoots in AlUla, Jeddah and NEOM. For film-makers, the major attraction was the variety of backdrops offered within each area. Jeddah became both Tehran and Herat, with shoots taking place in the historic Al Balad, while its airport stood in for Dubai, and the UK. Particularly rich through was AlUla: here, temporary roads were built for a full-scale military encampment in the desert, the new town was used for a dramatic explosion sequence, and the Old Town area was converted into a bustling Afghan village with the addition of 300 extras.

The Cello

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Set for international release this December, this film adds another string to the bow of the Saudi film industry. An international production based on a book by Turki Al-Sheikh, it is directed by Darren Lynn Bousman, whose credits include three of the Saw horror franchise, and is set to star fellow Saw alumnus Tobin Bell and Oscar-winner Jeremy Irons, in a spine-chilling tale of a musician whose new instrument brings nothing but ill fortune. Filming took place in Riyadh and AlUla, as well as in Prague, for what is considered the first Arabian horror film, a mostly Arabic-language release that is proof of just how fast the industry is developing.

Cherry

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This 2022 all-American tale of an Iraq war veteran dealing with trauma and addiction was an unexpected project for Anthony and Joe Russo, known for the blockbuster Avengers movies, and their star Tom Holland, fresh from playing Spiderman. Also breaking new ground was their choice of location to represent Iraq, filmed in the deserts of AlUla in 2020, the first Hollywood production to take advantage of the area after the formation of the promotional body, Film AlUla, in 2020. While Cherry's shoot was relatively brief, just three days in AlUla and one day in Riyadh, it was a coup to attract film-makers of such stature.