‘Bad Boys' Directorial Duo Adil & Bilall's Saudi-Shot Action Thriller ‘Seven Dogs' Unveils First Images
First images for Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah Saudi-shot action thriller have been unveiled as the production shoots outside the capital of Riyadh.
The $40M project from the Bad Boys for Life directorial duo is being hailed as a gamechanger for Saudi Arabia as its continues its drive to become the Middle East and North Africa's biggest film and TV hub, following the lifting of its cinema ban in late 2017.
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Egyptian stars Karim Abdel Aziz (The Blue Elephant, Kira & El Gin, Abu Ali) and Ahmed Ezz (Kira & El Gin, The Cell, Welad Rizk) headline the thriller.
The movie is being shot at Alhisn Big Time Studios in Riyadh, one of MENA region's biggest film and television production facilities, with additional filming at Riyadh Boulevard. Riyadh will serve as a stand-in for multiple international cities, including Mumbai and Shanghai.
It is produced by Jeddah-based entertainment company Sela, with Ivan Atkinson (The Gentlemen, Wrath of Man) lead producing.
The thriller is based on an original story by Turki Alalshikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority.
Alalshikh has been instrumental in driving his country's sporting and entertainment ambitions, and recently masterminded the boxing partnership with UFC and WWE parent company, the TKO Group.
Ezz plays Interpol officer Khalid Al-Azzazi who apprehends Ghali Abu Dawood (Aziz), a high-ranking member of the clandestine global crime syndicate known as 7 Dogs. A year later, the organization resurfaces, trafficking a dangerous new drug—Pink Lady—across the Middle East.
With time running out, Khalid reluctantly join forces with Ghali, the only person with intimate knowledge of the syndicate's operations. Their uneasy alliance propels them on a high-stakes mission across multiple global cities as they strive to dismantle the organization and prevent the drug from flooding Arab streets.
Belgian directorial duo Adil & Bilall are best known internationally as the directors of of the third and fourth installments of the Bad Boys franchise: Bad Boys for Life (2020) and Bad Boys: Ride or Die (2024) which together grossed over $830M at world box office.
Their other credits include 2018 Belgium set breakout Gangsta, and its recent sequel Gangstas and 2022 drama Rebel about a Muslim Belgian family dealing with the threat of radicalization at home and in Syria.
Seven Dogs is slated for a late 2025 release.
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