With a $150 million dollar budget, Desert Warrior is the most expensive film to be produced at Saudia Arabia. The project was intended to revitalize the Saudi film industry, with Saudi crew members receiving training for the production. Filming lasted from September 2021 to February 2022. An extended post-production period, caused by the studio looking to recut the film only to then be unable to find distribution, contributed to delays in the film's release.
Desert Warrior premiered at the Zurich Film Festival on September 28, 2025, and is scheduled for a theatrical release in the United States on April 24, 2026, by Vertical.
Premise
Set in seventh century Arabia, amongst the constant feuding between tribes, the ruthless Emperor Kisra wishes to make Princess Hind his concubine. However, she refuses and instead, with the help of a legendary bandit, looks to confront the Emperor, culminating in the Battle of Ze Qar.[6]
Desert Warrior was announced in November 2021 as a film produced by JB Pictures, AGC Studios, and Studio Mechanical, along with MBC Studios—the Saudi-backed production arm of MBC. It was written by Rupert Wyatt, Erica Beeney, David Self, and Gary Ross, with Wyatt directing the film as well. The cast includes Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Sharlto Copley, Ghassan Massoud, Sami Bouajila, Lamis Ammar, Géza Röhrig, Ben Kingsley, and Numan Acar.[7] It was one of the first major English-language films produced by MBC Studios, and is the largest production to film in Saudi Arabia. MBC saw it as an anchor for the nascent film industry that was being established in the region, where key crewmembers were brought in for the project to effectively train and develop Saudi crews learning about the industry.[8][9] The crew size was approximately 450–500 people each day.[10]
Principal photography began in September 2021 in Neom, Saudi Arabia,[7][11] and it was completed by February 2022.[12] The film had a long post-production period, and it planned to seek buyers in the first quarter of 2024, targeting a film festival debut before a wide theatrical release.[11] In October 2024, it was reported that Wyatt had briefly exited the film due to creative differences, but later returned to finish the editing. Guillermo Garza serves as the cinematographer, Richard Mettler serves as editor, and Dan Levy was the composer for the film.[13]
In February 2026, Vertical acquired the distribution rights to the film, later scheduling it for a theatrical release in the United States on April 24, 2026.[6][15][16]
Reception
Damon Wise of Deadline Hollywood writes that "extraordinary images" were captured by the director and cinematographer, but that the film turns into a bit of a slog becoming "a stodgy, sprawling, feminist, pre-Islamic Gandhi."[17]
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