Bad Boys for Life directors bring Hollywood-style action to Saudi Arabia

The first images from the Saudi-shot action thriller directed by Bad Boys for Life filmmakers Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah have been revealed. The film is currently being shot outside Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The $40 million project, directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, is being called a major step forward for Saudi Arabia’s growing film industry.

Since lifting its cinema ban in 2017, Saudi Arabia has been working to establish itself as the biggest film and TV hub in the Middle East and North Africa.

Egyptian stars Karim Abdel Aziz (The Blue Elephant, Kira & El Gin, Abu Ali) and Ahmed Ezz (Kira & El Gin, The Cell, Welad Rizk) play the lead roles in the thriller.

The movie is being filmed at Alhisn Big Time Studios in Riyadh, one of the largest production facilities in the MENA region, with additional shooting at Riyadh Boulevard.

The city will serve as a stand-in for several international locations, including Mumbai and Shanghai.

Produced by Jeddah-based entertainment company Sela, the film has Ivan Atkinson (The Gentlemen, Wrath of Man) as the lead producer. The story is based on an original idea by Turki Alalshikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority.

Alalshikh has played a key role in advancing the country’s entertainment and sports industries, including forming a major boxing partnership with UFC and WWE parent company, TKO Group.

Ahmed Ezz plays Interpol officer Khalid Al-Azzazi, who captures Ghali Abu Dawood (played by Karim Abdel Aziz), a top member of a secretive crime syndicate known as 7 Dogs.

A year later, the organisation returns, smuggling a dangerous new drug, Pink Lady, across the Middle East.

With little time to act, Khalid is forced to work with Ghali, the only person who truly understands the syndicate.

Together, they embark on a high-stakes mission across multiple cities to stop the syndicate and prevent the drug from spreading.

Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah are best known for directing Bad Boys for Life (2020) and Bad Boys: Ride or Die (2024), which together earned over $830 million at the global box office.

The Belgian directors have also worked on Gangsta (2018), its sequel Gangstas, and the 2022 drama Rebel, which explores the impact of radicalisation on a Muslim Belgian family.

With Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah at the helm, this new Saudi Arabia-based action thriller is expected to make waves in the film industry.