Anthony Mackie is set to star in Desert Warrior, a new historical epic from Rise of the Planet of the Apes director Rupert Wyatt, Deadline reports.
Set in 7th Century Arabia, the movie will follow a princess (Aiysha Hart) who is forced to escape from the ruthless emperor (Ben Kingsley) when she refuses to become his concubine. Alone in the desert and pursued by the emperor's troops, she and her father (Ghassan Massoud) must entrust their safety to a mysterious bandit (Mackie) who has some secrets of his own. Production is currently underway, with filming taking place in Saudi Arabia.
District 9's Sharlto Copley, Sami Bouajila, Lamis Ammar, and Géza Röhrig will also star. Wyatt has also co-written the script, along with Road to Perdition screenwriter David Self, Ocean's 8 scribe Gary Ross, and Erica Beeney.
Wyatt made his directorial debut in 2008 with The Escapist, which starred Brian Cox, Damian Lewis, and Dominic Cooper. On the small screen, he directed the first two episodes of Apple TV Plus' adaptation of The Mosquito Coast.
