Academy Award-winning filmmaker Terry George’s action thriller ‘Riverman’ set to shoot in NEOM and the UK

NEOM, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - ‘Riverman’, the upcoming high-impact action feature written and directed by Academy Award-winning screenwriter and director Terry George (‘In the Name of The Father’, ‘Hotel Rwanda’, ‘The Shore’) is gearing up to shoot in the epic landscape of NEOM in northwest Saudi Arabia and the UK.

Inspired by the war diaries, and true events of the war in Afghanistan over the course of 2001-2008, ‘Riverman’ tells the story of Max - a highly decorated Royal Marine who is tempted into the corrupt forces at work behind warfare. After a series of devastating events in Afghanistan, Max is plunged into a world more dangerous than the battlefield itself. Disillusioned with the politics of war, Max is recruited by a private arms dealer to supply weapons to private armies around the world; a company with the power to manipulate wars and sway the outcomes of global conflicts. Despite being trained to cope with the deadliest situations on Earth, nothing can prepare Max for the high-stakes world of arms dealing.

The production will be led by Future Artists Entertainment under Matt Williams (‘Bank of Dave’, ‘Poker Face’) - with Camilla Storey (‘Bitter Harvest’) of TMS Productions and acclaimed producer Mark Foligno of Limelight CTL (‘Moon’, ‘The King’s Speech’).

Matt Williams said, “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.”

‘Riverman’ comes off the back of Terry George’s three-and-a-half-decade-long career which includes an Academy Award win and multiple Oscar nominations and will showcase his renowned talent for telling powerful character-driven stories on a political stage.

Terry George said: “Riverman is a powerful, highly dramatic war story. I am excited to be directing this great project in NEOM.”

Wayne Borg, Managing Director of Media Industries, Entertainment, and Culture at NEOM, said, “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. 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.”

Casting has begun with principal photography set for January 2024. NEOM, the leading production destination and industry hub for the Middle East and North Africa region will facilitate the production with world-class sound stages, production support facilities, talent and crews.

NEOM has provided the backdrop for 30 productions in the last 18 months including; Rupert Wyatt’s ‘Desert Warrior’, starring Anthony Mackie and Sir Ben Kingsley, ‘Dunki’ directed by Rajkumar Hirani and starring Shahrukh Khan, the first regional reality TV show ‘Million Dollar Island’ and ‘Rise of The Witches’, the region’s biggest-ever budget TV show. MBC’s ‘Exceptional’, a 200-episode-a-year TV drama series is set to begin shooting in July.