Saudi Arabia took another step toward establishing its place on the global entertainment map with major Hollywood stars coming to the country.

Actors Jason Momoa, Jackie Chan, Jean Claude van Dame and Shahrukh Khan among others arrived in Saudia Arabia Sunday to help the kingdom — and themselves — get a bit richer, as officials promote their $64 billion push to create a world-class film industry.

Jason Momoa, who plays the DC Comics character on the big screen, flew into Riyadh Saturday night. The first time Hollywood A-listers have visited the country since Jamal Khashoggi’s savage murder in 2018.

Earlier Jackie Chan, Jason Momoa & Bollywood Star Shah Rukh Khan were among speakers at Saudi Arabia’s Joy Entertainment Forum.

The four leading men took the stage as part of the government-backed summit to promote the kingdom’s entertainment industry and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030 plan to build the country into a leading regional film and TV hub. Bollywood icon Khan posted on Twitter while his manager posted the above image on Instagram.

Hollywood and international markets cooled their pursuit of Saudi money after the murder of prominent journalist and dissident Kashoggi. STX CEO Robert Simonds and Viacom’s Bob Bakish were among those to pull out of a Saudi investor conference in October last year. In November, Legendary denied a report that it was taking $700M from Saudi sovereign wealth fund PIF. In March of this year Endeavor Content handed back a $400M investment from PIF, whose disparate U.S. investments include Uber and Deadline owner Penske Media Corporation. Actor Gerard Butler cancelled his trip to the country last year to promote his film Hunter Killer following the Khashoggi killing.

By Muslim Mirror Desk