Stampede Ventures’ adaptation of Isabell Ronin’s YA romance webnovel Chasing Red will shoot in Saudi Arabia, it was announced at the Red Sea Film Festival in Jeddah on Saturday.
The production is one of two films, alongside thriller Fourth Wall, that will kick-off a previously announced three-year, 10-project pact between Greg Silverman’s West Hollywood-based Stampede Ventures and the Royal Commission for AlUla’s film agency.
The news follows hot on the heels of the announcement this week by Stampede Ventures that the Chasing Red adaptation was in the works, in partnership with Wattpad Webtoon Studios.
The romantic drama revolves around straight-A student Veronica and rich playboy Caleb, who are brought together by an unexpected series of events.
Jessika Borsiczky is signed to direct, and casting is underway. Silverman is serving as producer with Jon Berg, while Gideon Yu, Chris Bosco, Mike Tadross and Grant Torre will be credited as Executive Producers.
Fourth Wall is a thriller is about a former child star from a popular TV sitcom who is kidnapped and wakes up in a complete recreation of the show’s set with the rest of the cast.
Silverman, Berg, Yu, Bosco and Tadross take producer credits again, with Torre on board as an executive producer.
Both Chasing Red and Fourth Wall are scheduled to shoot in Q2, 2024 in AlUla. They will be among the first features to shoot at Film AlUla’s new production facility featuring a 30,000 square foot soundstage, backlot and production support buildings.
Situated in northwest Saudi Arabia, the heritage region of AlUla is currently being developed as a major creative and tourist centre under the country’s 2030 Vision strategy aimed at moving the economy away from a reliance on oil.
Production officials from Film AlUla and Stampede recently scouted locations in region for location shoots as well.
The partnership between Film AlUla and Stampede was finalized at the Future Investment Initiative in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on October 24.
“Stampede’s mission to connect people through their favorite stories is moved forward dramatically by the commitment to Film Alula, connecting the audiences who will see these films, while also connecting the established filmmakers from all over the world who will be collaborating with the burgeoning filmmakers in The Kingdom. We are very grateful for the opportunity,” said Silverman.
The 10-picture pact is seen as a significant milestone in Film AlUla’s mission to transform AlUla into a regional creative hub.
“These two productions will create economic and creative opportunities for the people of AlUla,” said Film AlUla Executive Director Charlene Deleon-Jones.
“Film AlUla is committed to diversifying the economy and nurturing home-grown talent in collaboration with valued partners such as Stampede Ventures.”
Features previously shot on location in AlUla include Gerard Butler action picture Kandahar and the Russo brothers’ Cherry.