Abu Dhabi: Lavish Saudi Arabia drama Rashash, produced by MBC Studios, is coming to Shahid VIP, local media reported.
The eight-part series focus on the true story of a notorious Saudi Arabian criminal in the 1980s.
The show, which will premiere on July 9, is the brainchild of British television screenwriter, Tony Jordan, known for Hustle and EastEnders, who wrote the show alongside Sheikha Suha Al Khalifa and Richard Bellamy.
The series tells the story of a convicted murderer and drug trafficker, who was finally caught by police in the late 1980s. It will centre on a young police officer named Fahd who makes it his mission to arrest Rashash.
The show — partly shot in Abu Dhabi with support from local media hub twofour54 — features an all-Saudi cast in the lead roles. The actors underwent special weapons training prior to filming, trained by special armourers flown in from India.
Rashash is the biggest Arabic production for any streaming company so far, according to Shahid, and is a collaboration between regional and international award-winning talent using best-in-class production equipment.
Although the shooting was scheduled to have been completed in 90 days, it took much longer due to COVID-19 restrictions. Over half the filming took place in the desert, with three days dedicated to scenes shot from a helicopter.
The eight-episode Arabic series will feature English subtitles with one 55-minute episode dropping every week starting from July 9.
The MBC statement played up the high-production values provided to the show by British cinematographer Luke Bryant (I Hate Suzie, The Reckoning) who set up three full days of helicopter scenes and made ample use of high-speed cameras, drones and Steadicams. The stunts were choreographed by Bulgarian stunt director Kaloyan Vodenicharov (World War Z, Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation).
In line with Shahid and MBC Group’s aim to promote local talent, Rashash features an all-Saudi cast including Yagoub Al Farhan, Naif Al Daferi, Khaled Yeslam, Fayez Bin Jurays, and Sumaya Rida. Although the script was originally written in English, it was finalised in Arabic with special attention given to the Saudi dialect.
“This type of fast-paced action and drama is a genre that hasn’t been previously showcased in a Saudi series – especially a production of this magnitude,” said Al Daferi.
