Sony is bringing the story of the Ramayana to the world, with the studio landing global rights to the adaptation of the epic poem. That excludes India, where Ramayana producer Prime Focus Studios will release the film telling one of humanity’s oldest stories.
The news, and the film’s trailer, were revealed Thursday at San Diego Comic-Con. The epic poem centers on Rama, a prince who spends years in exile and whose wife, Sita, is kidnapped by the demon king Ravana.
Nitesh Tiwari directs the project, which stars Ranbir Kapoor, Yash and Sai Pallavi.
Prime Focus Studios’ Namit Malhotra produces and is known as the founder of the visual effects company DNEG, which has worked on Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, Interstellar and Tenet as well as all three of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune movies.
The Ramayana will be released in multiple languages across the world, including an English-language version, with the producers saying the intention since conception has been for it to reach a global audience.
The film boasts music from Oscar winners Hans Zimmer and A.R. Rahman; action choreography by Terry Notary and Guy Norris and production design by Ramsey Avery and Ravi Bansal.
“For generations, the Ramayana has inspired people through its timeless humanity and enduring values. Our ambition has always been to honor that legacy while creating a cinematic experience worthy of audiences everywhere,” said Malhotra in a statement.
Notably, the news comes as Nolan’s The Odyssey, a retelling of the greek epic, has been tearing up the global box office, marking Nolan’s biggest global debut and passing $300 million worldwide since its release a week ago.
