“Saudi Arabia has an awesome opportunity to spread its culture through film-making,” says British star Idris Elba.
He’s a Golden Globe-winning actor who has starred in everything from The Wire to the Thor trilogy – but it looks like Idris Elba’s latest work might have a distinctly Middle Eastern flavour.
The British star revealed his next film looks set to be shot in Saudi Arabia, as he appeared at the kingdom’s Quality of Life conference last week.
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The 45-year-old Londoner flew into Riyadh for the occasion, which focused on launching US$35 billion worth of cultural, sports and entertainment initiatives in the country and also attracted stars such as Katie Holmes.
“Saudi Arabia gave me an opportunity to make my film here. It made sense on an economical model,” Elba said at the event, according to Arab News.
“I would definitely be here — why not?
“Saudi Arabia has an awesome opportunity to spread its culture through film-making,” added the actor, who made his directorial debut this year with crime drama Yardie.
While details are scant on what the star’s latest endeavour might include, we’re already backing it as box office gold.
(After all, he’s been in hits such as Luther, Star Trek, Molly’s Game and Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom).
Dawson’s Creek actress Holmes also shared some behind-the-scenes snaps from the Riyadh event, uploading a snapshot of a dinner attended by Elba, footballer Thierry Henry and Saudi’s Princess Reema Bint Bandar Al Saud.
The star also shared an artistic shot of the capital’s architecture with her 1.3 million Instagram followers.
Elba isn’t the only A-lister eyeing up movie opportunities in the kingdom, with Lindsay Lohan revealing earlier this year that she is set to shoot a film in Saudi.
The Mean Girls star will play a teacher at a women’s university in Riyadh, The National reports, with the plot examining her character’s views on women, marriage and feminism.
The film—titled Frame—will be helmed by Abu Dhabi-based director Nancy Paton, and shot in both Saudi and the UAE from September, with a mostly female cast and crew made up of citizens from the two nations.
Mean Girls star Lohan first revealed her involvement with the film with a tweet in December, before revealing more about her character on The Wendy Williams Show in January.
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“She starts to understand the culture and how the women there are,” the 31-year-old told the US talk show host.
“Fencing is a big thing there, so there are a lot of fencing courses and horse-back riding… the women take her in to [help her] understand why they cover and why they do these things.”
Images: Idris Elba/Instagram
