Academy Award-winning screenwriter and director Terry George will be shooting his upcoming action-thriller movie Riverman, at Saudi Arabia’s upcoming $500 billion futuristic city NEOM.
George is known for his work in movies like In the Name of The Father, Hotel Rwanda, The Shore.
The movie is inspired by the war diaries and true events of the Afghanistan war from 2001 to 2008.
George’s Riverman will tell the story of Max, a Royal Marine who is tempted into the corrupt forces at work behind warfare.
“Riverman is a powerful, highly dramatic war story. I am excited to be directing this great project in NEOM,” Terry George said.
New Hollywood movie to be shot at NEOM
The film will be produced by Future Artists Entertainment, led by Matt Williams (known for Bank of Dave and Poker Face), along with Camilla Storey (from Bitter Harvest) of TMS Productions and esteemed producer Mark Foligno of Limelight CTL (recognised for Moon and The King’s Speech).
“From the incredible mind of Terry George, ’Riverman’ is an action-packed movie that explores ideas of heroism, corruption, and temptation within the dark and dangerous world of arms dealing and warfare. This is a powerful film and with George at the helm, we’re very excited to bring it to life,” Williams said.
Principal photography is scheduled to begin in January 2024, with casting already underway.
NEOM, the primary production destination and industry hub for the Middle East and North Africa region, will support the production with top-notch sound stages, production facilities, talented individuals, and crews, NEOM said in an emailed statement on Thursday.
“We are thrilled to welcome acclaimed writer and director Terry George to NEOM to shoot his upcoming action feature ‘Riverman’. The production team’s confidence in NEOM is a real testament to our world-class offering of state-of-the-art facilities, great crews, the sheer breadth of diverse locations, and our globally competitive 40%++ production cash rebate incentive,” NEOM managing director of media industries, entertainment and culturem, Wayne Borg said.
NEOM has served as the setting for 30 productions within the past 18 months. These include Rupert Wyatt’s Desert Warrior, featuring Anthony Mackie and Sir Ben Kingsley, Rajkumar Hirani’s Dunki starring Shahrukh Khan, the inaugural regional reality TV show Million Dollar Island, and the record-breaking TV show Rise of The Witches.
Borg added: “These are exciting times as high-end TV and film productions head to shoot in NEOM for the big studios and streamers to meet the unprecedented demand for high-quality content. NEOM’s offering, is compelling, and securing productions like ‘Riverman’ reinforces our position as the region’s leading full-service production hub.”
Additionally, MBC’s Exceptional, a TV drama series with 200 episodes per year, is scheduled to commence shooting in July.
Follow us on
