They Found Us: Pre-production for Neill Blomkamp’s alien thriller starring Joel Kinnaman shuts down in Saudi Arabia

Last Updated on November 3, 2023

The aliens in Neill Blomkamp’s latest thriller must put their probing tools in hydrogen peroxide after pre-production for They Found Us shut down in Saudi Arabia. While the project starring Joel Kinnaman (The Suicide Squad, Silent Night, Robocop) reworks its financial structure, hostility in the region is increasing as the Israel-Gaza crisis continues. While Neom is hundreds of miles from Gaza, the Israel-Hamas conflict could alter insurance figures and make traveling toward the reason dangerous.

Speaking with Deadline about the filming conditions for They Found Us, AGC Studios told the outlet, “We’ve taken the reluctant decision with our valued partners at Neom to pause pre-production on the film while we further explore a cross border legal and funding structure that makes all stakeholders comfortable. In deciding when to resume pre-production we’ll obviously assess what impact macro events in the region may have on obtaining production insurances and travel plans. Our friends at Neom and Yellow Camel have been nothing but collaborative and reliable partners at every stage of the journey thus far and we look forward to returning to prep on the film with them at the earliest sensible opportunity.”

Blomkamp directs They Found Us from a script by Jeremy Slater (Moon Knight, Fantastic Four, The Umbrella Academy). They Found Us follows a father (Kinnaman) and his daughter Kaylee as they embark on a camping trip in the Utah wilderness to mend their fragile relationship. When a hostile extraterrestrial lifeform attacks them, the duo must put their differences aside to survive an encounter with a humanoid beast as they hope to avoid abduction.

Blomkamp’s latest feature, Gran Turismo, earned $117+M worldwide. A true story inspires Gran Turismo. The project is “the ultimate wish-fulfillment tale of a teenage Gran Turismo player whose gaming skills won a series of Nissan competitions to become an actual professional race car driver.” Neill Blomkamp (District 9, Chappie, Elysium) directs, taking the filmmaker outside his science-fiction wheelhouse. David Harbour (Stranger Things, Black Widow), Orlando Bloom (Carnival Row, Pirates of the Caribbean franchise), and Archie Madekwe lead the cast.

Keeping everyone safe is a top priority for the team in charge of They Found Us. We’ll update you about the production as soon as we know more.