Egyptian director Mohamed Diab revealed that he received an offer from Hollywood star Tom Hanks ten years ago to direct one of his latest films at the time, but he declined. In an interview with Egyptian writer Abbas Abu al-Hassan on his podcast «Dialogues with Abbas», which airs on YouTube, Diab detailed what happened with Hanks. Diab also spoke about that period, saying that he sat in a café to tell his friends about his rejection of Hanks' offer, as some thought he was lying or crazy. However, he described himself as a professional writer and an amateur director, so when he takes on directing, he must be familiar with all the details of the project. Therefore, when the famous actor sent him the film «Greyhound», which was written and produced by the international star, Diab found the work very distant from him, as its events take place during World War II inside a submarine. He then realized that Hanks had likely seen his film «Clash», whose events unfold inside a prisoner transport vehicle, after it received wide acclaim, especially at the Cannes Film Festival. But the Egyptian director did not feel drawn to the film after reading it, so he refused to take on the responsibility of directing it. In response to a question about whether accepting a job with a global star like Hanks would be a step forward, Diab considered that it could also be a step to destroy his entire future in case of failure. It is worth noting that Diab is an Egyptian director and screenwriter considered one of the prominent filmmakers in the Arab world in recent years, famous for his works that discuss social and political issues with courage and realism, the most famous of which is «Clash». He also entered Hollywood when he directed the global TV series «Moon Knight» in 2022, produced by Marvel Studios, becoming the first Egyptian director to lead a major project in the Marvel world and to collaborate with the duo Oscar Isaac and Ethan Hawke.
