Martin Campbell to direct Treasure of Ali Baba & The 40 Thieves movie
Deadline reports that director Martin Campbell (Casino Royale, GoldenEye) will direct Treasure of Ali Baba & The 40 Thieves, a global adventure based on the classic 1,001 Arabian Nights Tales.
In the film, an adventure novelist gets caught up in a global conspiracy and a hunt for a mysterious antiquity after discovering that his father had a map to the legendary treasure of Ali Baba. He must team up with a brilliant cartographer to locate the artifacts before they fall into the hands of the 40 Thieves—an ancient group who has quietly become a powerful, international syndicate of criminals in high-ranking corporate positions.
“This is a great opportunity to do something with international appeal and huge franchise potential,” Campbell said, “I want this to be my Indiana Jones.”
Dave Holstein (I’m Dying Up Here, Weeds) completed the most recent draft of the script, which was originally developed by Mansur Ahmed and Ehud Bleiberg. Bleiberg, Danny Dimbort and Nicholas Donnermeyer will produce alongside Robert K. MacLean.
Campbell is currently awaiting the release of his most recent feature film, The Foreigner, starring Jackie Chan as a man seeking revenge for the death of his daughter in a terrorist attack. The director will next shoot Across the River and Into the Trees, based on the Ernest Hemingway novel, this spring.
