Saudi-owned Middle East broadcaster MBC has unveiled plans to air a high-end TV series titled “Embassy 87” shot in 2022 – that it had previously seemingly shelved – about Saudi diplomats who were held hostage in Iran.
MBC’s move to tease dropping “Embassy 87” on its Shahid streaming service is considered a direct effect of the US-Israeli war on Iran and its retaliatory strikes on the Gulf region that are causing a breakdown in Saudi-Iran diplomatic ties.
“Embassy 87” is directed by Britain’s Colin Teague (“Doctor Who”) who also helmed the hit Saudi series “Rashash” and the film “Ambulance” that was Imax’s first Arabic feature film release.
The show’s logline on Shahid’s website is: “1987. Tehran. A diplomat suddenly becomes a hostage in a political crisis. After a fatal Hajj incident, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard abducts a Saudi consul… and a larger plot unfolds. Inspired by a true story.”
“Not all wars are fought on the battlefield” says the show’s tagline.
In 1987 during the annual hajj pilgrimage to Islamic holy sites in Saudi Arabia, Iranians pilgrims clashed with Saudi riot police and some 400 people were killed. In retaliation for the Mecca violence, Iranian protesters attacked the Saudi embassy in Tehran in August 1987 and several Saudi diplomats were held hostage.
The “Embassy 87” series was shot in 2022 and is believed to have subsequently been shelved by MBC after Saudi Arabia re-established diplomatic relations with Iran in 2023.
Tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran go back centuries since the Saudis follow Sunni Islam and the Iranians are Shias. The basic difference between these two branches of Islam lies in which one is considered the rightful heir to the Prophet Mohammed, who spent much of his life near Mecca.
MBC initially announced that the first episode of “The Embassy 87″ would be released today (Friday) but the show’s listing on the Shahid website now says “soon.”
There was no comment on Friday from MBC.
Source: variety.com
