Production is set to begin this month on Chasing Red, a young-adult romance starring Riverdale’s Madelaine Petsch and The Summer I Turned Pretty’s Gavin Casalegno — the first feature to shoot at Saudi Arabia’s newly opened AlUla Studios under a partnership between Film AlUla and Stampede Ventures. Located in the country’s northwest, AlUla is a desert region famed for its dramatic sandstone canyons, ancient Nabataean tombs and UNESCO World Heritage sites, which the country has ambitious plans to leverage as a magnet for film and television production.
The collaboration between Film AlUla — the film agency of the Royal Commission for AlUla — and Stampede Ventures (along with its regional arm, Stampede Arabia) will eventually produce a slate of four films suited for production in the desert region’s new state-of-the-art facilities. The deal also includes a training and mentorship initiative in partnership with Gateway Entertainment, providing hands-on experience for 50 Saudi participants across key production departments.
The local production plans were unveiled on the eve of Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea International Film Festival in Jeddah, part of the country’s ongoing efforts to position itself as a global entertainment hub.
Based on Isabelle Ronin’s viral Wattpad phenomenon — one of the platform’s most-read English-language stories, with more than 260 million reads — Chasing Red follows straight-A student Veronica (Petsch) and campus playboy Caleb (Casalegno), whose unlikely connection turns into an all-consuming romance. Mackenzie Munro (Boot Camp) directs from a script by Lauren Schacher. Stampede Ventures’ Greg Silverman produces alongside Grant Torre and Webtoon Studios’ David Madden and Jason Goldberg.
“Productions like Chasing Red contribute directly to the development of AlUla’s creative sector,” said Phillip Jones, chief tourism officer of the Royal Commission for AlUla. “They create jobs, build local capability and expand international visibility for the destination at a time when global interest in AlUla is growing.”
Zaid Shaker, acting executive director of Film AlUla, added: “Chasing Red is a perfect example of how a project can utilize our full-service offering — from world-class studios to stunning locations — while working closely with us to provide key training opportunities to bolster the local film ecosystem.”
Stampede Ventures CEO Greg Silverman said he was “excited to continue our partnership with Film AlUla” on the project. “Mackenzie brings such an elevated, romantic vision to Isabelle Ronin’s captivating love story that developed an astounding following on Wattpad, and Madelaine and Gavin are the perfect actors to finally bring Veronica and Caleb’s story to audiences around the world.”
The new AlUla Studios, managed by The MBS Group, features two fully equipped soundstages and nearly 18,000 square feet of production facilities, including workshops, prop shops, wardrobe and catering buildings, as well as expansive backlot areas for large-scale set construction.
In addition to filming at AlUla Studios, Chasing Red will shoot in several of the region’s stunning landscapes. Other international projects to have recently been shot there include Anderson .Paak’s K-Pops to Gerard Butler’s Kandahar.
