Shooting starts in Morocco today on the comedic drama A Hologram for the King, which is being directed by Tom Tykwer (Cloud Atlas, Perfume), who also adapted the script from the novel by Dave Eggers. The independently-financed production stars multiple Oscar winner Tom Hanks alongside a cast that includes Sarita Choudhury (“Homeland”), Omar Elba (“Intelligence”), Tracey Fairaway (Enough Said), David Menkin (Zero Dark Thirty) and Tom Skerritt (Ted, Top Gun).
The story takes place far away from the recession-weary USA, as an up-and-coming Saudi Arabian city provides the backdrop for foundering American businessman Alan Clay’s (Hanks) last-ditch effort to stave off bankruptcy, pay his daughter’s college fees, and finally accomplish something big. A Hologram for the King is a gentle, crazy, wistful ballad recounting the journey of a man, who has lost almost everything, to a country that requires him to rise to completely unknown challenges – and that answers old questions in new and unexpected ways.
Shooting will take place in Morocco and Germany and will continue until June. X Verleih will distribute the film in Germany.
A Hologram for the King is being produced by Uwe Schott and Stefan Arndt of X Filme Creative Pool, Arcadiy Golubovich and Timothy D. O’Hair of Primeridian, and Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman of Playtone in Association with Silver Reel Entertainment and Fábrica de Cine. Eggers, Steven Shareshian of Playtone, Claudia Bluemhuber of Silver Reel, Gaston Pavlovich of Fabrica de Cine, and Bill Johnson and Jim Seibel of Lotus International will executive produce.
