Hollywood film company, STX films, just announced plans to develop a biopic based on the life of the United Arab Emirates founding father, Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al-Nahyan.
The production company—which is behind a number of box office hits like the Academy Award-nominated Molly’s Game, Bad Moms and The Foreigner—tapped Shekhar Kapur to direct the film.
Kapur—equally known for his acting in Bollywood—previously worked behind the scenes directing Elizabeth: The Golden Age, the Queen Elizabeth I biopic starring Cate Blanchett. Cliff Dorfman, the man behind the hit HBO series Entourage and Tom Hardy’s Warrior is set to write the screenplay.
“Patterned after great movies like Gandhi, Selma, and Darkest Hour, this project will tell the story of a dynamic, powerful personality who helped create historic change”, said Adam Fogelson, STX films chairman following the announcement of the film.
Sheikh Zayed was appointed to the UAE’s presidency in 1971 and was the force behind the unification of the Emirates the same year. Following the oil boom, the ruler took to building the nation’s infrastructure and is largely credited with its thriving economy and ultimate transformation into the ultra-modern country we know today.
