After 30 Years, They’re Finally Finding “Gold”
Quinta Communications topper has Tarak Ben Ammar unveiled major studio distribution deals for its $55 million indie Arab pic “Black Gold” (formerly titled “Black Thirst”), saying that Warner Bros. and Universal have come on board the pic as worldwide partners and distribs on a territory-by-territory basis. Ben Ammar also confirmed Antonio Banderas and “A Prophet” star Tahar Rahim will join the international cast that includes Mark Strong, Freida Pinto, Riz Ahmed and Liya Kebede. “The Name of the Rose” helmer Jean-Jacques Annaud will direct the pic, based on the screenplay by Menno Meyjes (”The Color Purple,” “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade”), which follows the rivalry of two young Emirs set against the backdrop of 1930s Arab states at the peak of the oil boom. It is based on the Hans Ruesch’s tome “The Great Thirst,” and Annaud and Alain Godard have co-written the story. Pic, which Ben Ammar had been trying to make for 30 years since he first optioned the tome in 1978, begins lensing on Oct. 18 at Ben Ammar’s Empire Studios in Tunisia.
http://ping.fm/QtVni