EXCLUSIVE: Cairo-based MAD Solutions has added rising Egyptian actor Youssef Omar to the cast of UK-Chinese action thriller Shashou, which the company will also release across Arabic-speaking territories.
“It’s an Arab spin on the packaging strategy that Hollywood has long deployed,” said MAD Solutions co-founders Alaa Karkouti and Maher Diab.
“We remain adamant that Arab creative talents should enjoy the same standing in the global entertainment market as their peers from other regions.”
Founded in 2010 to fill a gap in the international promotion of Arab cinema, MAD Solutions’ activities now span distribution, talent management, content, marketing and international sales.
Shashou marks a first international role for Omar, who was seen most recently at home in the high-profile Ramadan series A Woman’s Youth (Shabab Emraa), co-starring opposite Egyptian actress Ghada Abdel Razek.
The movie is being produced by Hong Kong’s Phoenix Waters Productions together with London-based Berkeley Media Group and Ostara Pictures, with SC Films International handling worldwide sales.
In addition to MAD Solutions coming on board as the film’s MENA distributor, South Korea’s Studio Target is joining forces as the Korean distributor.
The thriller is set in the shady world of ex-special forces, where outcasts Kelly Frost, Rachel Chan, and Inferno unite to stop a billionaire’s plot to destabilize Hong Kong. Amid secrets and shifting alliances, trust is their only hope, as the mysterious ‘Shashou’ watches from the shadows.
The film is being produced and directed by Bizhan Tong, a UK producer, screenwriter, and film director who is the founder and CEO of Phoenix Waters Productions, a company dedicated to creating high-concept productions with global appeal.
Charlie Wong (Warriors of Future), Michael Chuah (Firefly), Yu-Fai Suen (The Eye), and Raimund Berens (Siege On Liperti Street) are also producing.
Omar first gained widespread recognition with his breakthrough role in the 2018 drama Rahim, followed by his role in the popular show Women’s Maadi House (Sittat Bayt Al Maadi), about three women from the same household dealing with their husbands’ infidelities.
His big screen credits include The Children Of Karim’s Ladies (Awlad Hareem Kareem), Underdogs (El Hareefa) and Meen Yasadaq.
Kareem Samy, Managing Partner and Executive Director of MAD Celebrity, the talent management arm of MAD Solutions, said Omar’s signing to Shashou marked another step in the agency’s mission to expand opportunities for Arab actors.
“Our goal at MAD has always been to find a way to help as many Arab talents — whether they be performers or filmmakers — break into the global mainstream and champion Arab cinema wherever possible on the international stage. This can mean being involved as a company in several capacities at once.”
Tong said he had cast Omar for Shashou on the basis of his on-screen presence, describing it as “intense, layered, and magnetic”.
“I’m genuinely excited to direct him in Shashou, where his character plays a vital role in the story’s emotional core. This film brings together talent from across continents to honor the legacy of Hong Kong action cinema while reimagining it for a global audience. I’m grateful to Mad Solutions for supporting ambitious, cross-cultural projects like those from Phoenix Waters — stories that bridge East and West and speak to audiences around the world,” he said.
Since its establishment in 2015, Phoenix Waters Productions has produced several award-winning films including The Escort. Tong has also expanded his work internationally, collaborating with actors such as Robert Picardo and John Savage, and establishing an Asian hub in Hong Kong. Other notable titles from his filmography include the international thriller Lockdown and the Hong Kong remake of Richard Linklater’s Tape.
Film producer Suen added: “It’s a pleasure for Berkeley Media Group to be working with MAD Solutions again and with such an amazing acting talent in Youssef Omar in a full-on action thriller from our wonderful director Bizhan Tong.”
Omar said of the upcoming opportunity: “I am humbled by everyone’s confidence in me on my first international outing. It’s every actor’s dream to step out of their local industry, and what better way to do it than in a project like Shashou under a world-class director like Bizhan Tong. I simply can’t wait to get started.”