Tunisian star Dhafer L'Abidine is currently in preparations for his role in the new Egyptian film Esmat Abu Shanab along with star Yasmin Abdulaziz, director Sameh Abdel Aziz and producer Ahmed El Sobky.

Esmat Abu Shanab is the Egyptian cinematic debut for L'Abidine, who landed roles in several big-budget Hollywood films such as A Hologram for the King. The new Egyptian motion-picture is tracing two police officers who experience a chain of hilarious events. Starring alongside Bayoumi Fouad, Salah Abdallah, Mohamed Lotfy and Badreya Tolba, Dhafer's new film is scheduled to begin shooting in October.

Dhafer commented on his first Egyptian film saying "I'm so excited for my first experience in the Egyptian cinema through Esmat Abu Shanab with a magnificent crew encompassing star Yasmin Abdulaziz, director Sameh Abdel Aziz and producer by Ahmed El Sobky. My new character is distinctively different from any of the roles I played before. The film is very special and combines comedy and action elements.

Dhafer is best known in the Arab world for his striking performances in TV dramas. This year, he brilliantly took the Arab and international audiences' breath away with his astounding performance in That Al Saytara TV drama as Hatem, who unravels his wife's drug-abusing past, as well as his salient performances in Oreed Ragolan and 24 Kirats. L'Abidine has always demonstrated strong presence as a talented actor in several TV dramas including; Farq Tawqeet (2014), Neran Sadeqa (2013) and Vertigo (2012) and Zakerat Al Gassad (2010), which featured an array of A-list stars from across the region. He also starred in the Tunisian feature film Akher December (2010) and Tunisian TV series Maktoob (2008).

Before his sky-rocketing breakthrough in the Arab world, L'Abidine starred in several Hollywood productions such as Sex and the City 2, Centurion and The Black Forest as well as series such as Haunted and Transporter: The Series.