MBC Studios, the production arm of Middle East and North African media and entertainment giant MBC Group, has announced plans to adapt the novel Jahim Abilene (Traveler’s Hell) is turning the work of best-selling Saudi Arabian author Osamah Almuslim into a feature film as part of a broader deal to bring his popular works to the big and small screens.
The project, directed by Saudi Arabian filmmaker Hana Al-Omair, is expected to begin production in the first half of 2025 and will be shot in Saudi Arabia. Al-Muslim himself will adapt the screenplay from his novel about a highway where travelers mysteriously disappear.
The news was announced on Wednesday local time during the 4th Red Sea International Film Festival (RSIFF) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The adaptation is part of a wider collaboration between MBC Studios and Almuslim to adapt his novels for television and film. MBC said: “In recent years, the Hassa-born author has emerged as one of Saudi Arabia’s most prominent writers, pioneering a unique literary style and winning acclaim for his works in the horror, fantasy and suspense genres “His novels have been widely praised and have a strong following among readers across the country and the Arab world, leading to record attendance at literary events.”
Al-Muslim said the deal will result in “a series of projects exploring the vast world I’ve spent the past decade building.”
Al-Omair joined MBC Studios as creative director earlier this year. “I’ve always loved making film adaptations of other sources, and these projects allow me to have a creative dialogue with the director,” she says. “I am therefore very pleased to be working with Osamah Almuslim, whose broad profile in the Arab world presents both exciting opportunities and challenges.”
She added: “His unique storytelling style interweaves elements of suspense, mystery, horror, mythology and local traditions. Through this exciting new endeavor, I hope to experiment with these narrative formats and bring a new perspective to the story in Saudi Arabia.” Opening new horizons in the field of Arab cinema.
MBC GROUP is the largest and leading media organization in the Middle East and North Africa.
