The Jewel of the Nile (1985)

The American action-adventure romantic comedy, The Jewel of the Nile (1985), was directed by Lewis Teague and produced by Michael Douglas, who also took on the lead role. After six months since their original adventures in Romancing the Stone, Joan Wilder and Jack Colton’s relationship had grown dull. While docked at a port in the South of France, Joan – battling writer’s block – yearned to return home to New York, but Jack preferred aimlessly sailing on his boat, the Angelina. At a book signing event, Joan crossed paths with Omar Khalifa, a charming Arab ruler who requested that she write his biography. Despite Jack’s protests, Joan accepted and left for Omar’s kingdom.

Later on, Ralph – the con artist from their previous escapades in Colombia – reappeared and demanded that Jack hand over the precious stone they had found together. Just then, an Arab named Tarak informed Jack of Omar’s true intentions and revealed that he possessed the ‘Jewel of the Nile’. Before Tarak could finish explaining, an explosion tore through the Angelina – planted by one of Omar’s men. In a twist of fate, Ralph and Jack joined forces to locate Joan and retrieve the legendary jewel. Joan quickly realizes that Omar is not the enlightened leader he claimed to be and is instead a brutal dictator. While imprisoned in the palace, she meets Al-Julhara, known as the ‘Jewel of the Nile’, who reveals that Omar fears him.