The production will be much bigger than the production of Gladiator. In March 2023 the construction had already begun at Fort Ricasoli (which will become the Coliseum again), and approximately 200 workers were involved. The calls for extras were overwhelmingly received by the locals.
The film is benefitting from the Malta rebate system administered by the Malta Film Commission.
It's a triumphant return to Malta as the first Gladiator also shot in Malta. Russel Crowe was cheered by the audience at last year's Malta Film Awards, when he made an appearance via a video.
A few days ago a snapshot on a beach with Paul Mescal and Pedro Pascal caused a stir on Instagram and fans expressed their amazement about the similarities of the actors whose beards and hair looked alike.
The script penned by David Scarpa follows Lucius (Paul Mescal), the son of Lucilla (Connie Nielsen) and nephew of Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix).
Costume designer Janty Yates and production designer Arthur Max, who already worked on Gladiator, return to the crew.
Shooting started in Morocco in June 2023 and will also be hosted by the UK.
The sequel to Gladiator is the fourth feature film shot by Ridley Scott in Malta. The first one was White Squall in 1996, and in 2022 he shot Napoleon with Joaquin Phoenix and Vanessa Kirby on the island.
