Vertical has acquired U.S. and U.K. rights to the action epic “Desert Warrior” from MBC Studios. Directed by Rupert Wyatt (“Rise of the Planet of the Apes,” “The Gambler,” “Captive State”), the film stars Anthony Mackie (“Elevation,” “Captain America: Brave New World”), Aiysha Hart (“We Are Lady Parts,” “A Discovery of Witches”), Ghassan Massoud (“All the Money in the World,” “Kingdom of Heaven”), Sharlto Copley (“The Witcher,” “Monkey Man”), and Academy Award winner Sir Ben Kingsley (“Gandhi,” “Iron Man 3”). Vertical is setting the film for a spring release.

Set in seventh-century Arabia, Princess Hind (Hart) defies her fate, refusing to become a concubine to the ruthless Emperor Kisra (Kingsley). Fleeing into the desert with her father, she is hunted by a merciless army and forced to trust a legendary bandit (Mackie) with secrets of his own. Rising from fugitive to fearless warrior, Hind unites warring tribes for a final stand—the Battle of Ze Qar, a clash that will change history forever.

Wyatt co-wrote the screenplay with Erica Beeney (“Captive State,” “The Battle of Shaker Heights”) and David Self (“Road to Perdition,” “Thirteen Days”).

Film director Rupert Wyatt commented: “’Desert Warrior’ is that rare beast of a film that combines a very human story with epic scope and ambition. Shot in the most extraordinary desert landscapes, with a cast and crew of thousands who all reached for the stars, I am privileged to have played my part in perhaps one of the last in-camera on location action epics. So it’s fitting and fortunate to have Vertical bring our film to cinema audiences and the big screen. Long live cinema!”

“Rupert has delivered a thrilling, dynamic film, brought to life by Anthony, Aiysha, and an exceptional international cast and crew,” said Vertical partner Peter Jarowey. “We’re excited to release this global epic from MBC Studios and to be reteaming with producer Jeremy Bolt.”

Ali Jaafar, Head of Films and Global Series at MBC Studios added: “Vertical are one of the most innovative and forward-thinking distributors today. We are delighted they will be our partner in bringing ‘Desert Warrior’ to audiences across the US and UK. ‘Desert Warrior’ is a film made with great love, ambition and scale. Vertical’s passion and belief in the film and its appeal to a wide audience has been great to see and we look forward to the film’s release later this year.”

On his part, producer Jeremy Bolt commented: “I am very pleased Peter and his team at Vertical are bringing our cinematic epic to the big screen – movies like this are rare and Vertical’s smart tailored marketing approach is perfect for it.”

The film was produced by MBC STUDIOS, Jeremy Bolt (“Resident Evil,” “Death Race”), and Saudi producer Rasha AIEmam, and executive produced by Pete Smith, Firas Dehni, Wyatt and Beeney, Eric Hedayat, Stuart Ford for AGC Studios, Dennis Berardi, and Andre Coutu. Additional below-the-line talent includes director of photography Guillermo Garza (“The Mosquito Coast”), editor Richard Mettler (“I.S.S.”), costume designer Bojana Nikitovic (“Dune: Prophecy”), and production designer Paki Smith (“Steve”), with casting by Des Hamilton (“Hedda”) and music by Dan Levy (“I Lost My Body”).

The deal was negotiated by Jarowey and SVP of Acquisitions Tony Piantedosi on behalf of Vertical and by Anant Tamirisa for AGC International. AGC International is handling worldwide sales on the film.

About Vertical
Founded in 2012, Vertical has become a leading global independent distributor releasing films across all mediums. In the last 3 years, Vertical has taken a leap within the theatrical space with a commercially focused indie slate. We thrive in a highly competitive landscape against major studios and maintain the ability to stay nimble and ahead of the curve in all aspects of our business. Vertical’s unique combination of full-service marketing and highly effective sales services provides collaborative solutions for filmmakers, as the company leverages exhibitor, platform and creative relationships to maximize revenue streams from all content providers.

Vertical’s current and upcoming slate includes Aneil Karia’s “Hamlet” starring Academy Award winner Riz Ahmed; Director/writer Luc Besson’s “Dracula” starring Caleb Landry Jones, Christoph Waltz and Zoë Bleu; Writer/Director Zak Hilditch’s “We Bury the Dead” starring Daisy Ridley and Brenton Thwaites; Eric Lin’s “Rosemead” which had its world premiere at the Tribeca Festival and is produced by and stars Lucy Liu; 2025 Sundance Film Festival U.S. Grand Jury Prize for Dramatic Features “Atropia,” written and directed by Hailey Benton Gates and starring Alia Shawkat and Callum Turner; Brian Kirk’s “Dead of Winter” starring Emma Thompson and Judy Greer; Academy Award-winning director Ron Howard’s “Eden” which had its world premiere at TIFF 2024 and stars Jude Law, Ana de Armas, Vanessa Kirby, Daniel Brühl and Sydney Sweeney; Director/writer Kristin Scott Thomas’ “My Mother’s Wedding” starring Thomas, Scarlett Johansson, Sienna Miller, Emily Beecham and Freida Pinto; Justin Lin’s “Last Days” starring newcomer Sky Yang; “Fight or Flight” directed by James Madigan and starring Josh Hartnett and Katee Sackhoff.

Past Vertical releases include 2024’s SXSW selection “I Don’t Understand You” co-directed/co-written by David Joseph Craig and Brian William Crano and starring Nick Kroll and Andrew Rannells; 2024’s SXSW selection “The Threesome” directed by Chad Hartigan and starring Zoey Deutch; 2024 Tribeca selection “Sacramento” starring Michael Angarano, Michael Cera, Kristen Stewart and Maya Erskine penned and directed by Angarano; “Guns Up” directed by Edward Drake and starring Kevin James, Christina Ricci, Luis Guzmán and Academy Award-winner Melissa Leo; “In The Lost Lands” directed by Paul W.S. Anderson based on George R.R. Martin’s short story and starring Milla Jovovich and Dave Bautista; TIFF 2024 and Venice International FF 2024 selection “The Order” from director Justin Kurzel and starring Jude Law, Nicholas Hoult, Tye Sheridan and Jurnee Smollett; TIFF 2023 selection “Lee,” directed by Ellen Kuras and starring Kate Winslet, Andrea Riseborough, Andy Samberg, Alexander Skarsgård and Marion Cotillard; director George Nolfi’s sci-fi thriller Elevation starring Anthony Mackie and Morena Baccarin; Caroline Lindy’s “Your Monster” which stars Melissa Barrera and Tommy Dewey and had its World Premiere at Sundance 2024; “The Exorcism” directed by Joshua John Miller and starring Russell Crowe, Ryan Simpkins, Chloe Bailey and Sam Worthington; TIFF 2023 selection “Poolman,” written, directed by and starring Chris Pine alongside Danny DeVito and Annette Bening from producers Patty Jenkins and Stacey Sher; 2023 Cannes Selection “Firebrand” from director Karim Aïnouz and starring Alicia Vikander and Jude Law; the 2023 Berlin Film Festival Opener “She Came to Me” directed by Rebecca Miller and starring Peter Dinklage, Marisa Tomei and Anne Hathaway; Phillip Noyce’s “Fast Charlie” starring Pierce Brosnan and Morena Baccarin; 2023 Independent Spirit Award winner “Emily the Criminal” written & directed by John Patton Ford starring Aubrey Plaza and Theo Rossi; and Damián Szifron’s “To Catch a Killer” starring Shailene Woodley and Ben Mendelsohn.
For more information about Vertical, go to www.Vert-Ent.com.