Gladiator II has been over 24 years in the making.
After Gladiator grossed over $465 million at the box office and picked up five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor, there were many reports about the potential follow-up. There were rumours that one script explored the resurrection of Russell Crowe’s Maximus. In another, Maximus was cursed to live forever and fought in the Crusades, World War II and Vietnam.
Ultimately, writer David Scarpa and returning director Ridley Scott decided to set the second Gladiator 16 years after the events of the original. The sequel revolves around Lucius Verus (Paul Mescal), who lives with his wife in Numidia. When Roman soldiers invade the province, Lucius is forced into slavery and taken to Rome, where he becomes a gladiator. After being bought by Marcinus (Denzel Washington), Lucius is made to confront his true parentage, all while his owner plots to overthrow the young emperors Caracalla (Fred Hechinger) and Geta (Joseph Quinn).
Where was Gladiator 2 filmed?
In order to make Gladiator II look and feel as similar to its predecessor as possible, Scott decided to return to some familiar locations for production. But where exactly was it shot? Read on to find out.
Fort Ricasoli, Malta – Rome’s Colosseum where Mescal fights on a Roman ship
When Scott shot the original Gladiator, he used the tiny Mediterranean island of Malta for the scenes set in Rome.
It makes sense then that production returned to the country. In fact, Malta played such a key role in the production of Gladiator II that Washington says it is basically ‘a character’ in the movie. Scott looked to incorporate as much of its history, architecture and even weather as possible.
At Fort Ricasoli, makeshift Roman buildings were constructed around the ancient structures already inside the fort – as well as the film’s Colosseum. Production designer Arthur Max tells Variety that the amphitheatre they used for filming was the size of one football field and two stories tall. Then in post-production special effects were used to expand it.
When it came to filming the mock naval battle sequences, or ‘naumachia’, Max explains that 100-foot-long ships were put on wheels, tilted and spun via remote control to mimic the tumultuous mayhem. Close-ups of the hand-to-hand fight sequences on the ship were shot in a studio water tank in Malta.
The decision to film Gladiator II in the country was made much easier by the Malta Film Commission’s generous tax incentives. It’s not just the Gladiator films that have benefited from Malta’s generosity: other Hollywood productions to have made the country their home include Napoleon, Jurassic World: Dominion, Games of Thrones, and World War Z.
Ouarzazate, Morocco – the wooden amphitheatre where Mescal fights a baboon
Located on a plateau south of the High Atlas mountains and surrounded by beautiful landscapes and endless sands, the Moroccan city of Ouarzazate is known as the gateway to the Sahara Desert. It’s also where Scott took production for Gladiator II.
Lucius’ first fight as a gladiator, where he impresses Marcinus and takes on a gaggle of baboons, was shot in the city. It’s also believed that the hand to hand fights for the film’s opening battle – where Marcus Acacius (Pedro Pascal)’s Roman army attacks Numidia – were shot in Morocco, as were any of the desert sequences, including a young Lucius running away from the Roman army.
Like Malta, Ouarzazate was previously used for filming on Gladiator. This is where the 2000 epic’s slavery, desert travel, and gladiatorial training scenes were filmed.
Devil’s Dyke, England – where the fate of Rome is decided
It’s one thing turning Morocco and Malta into Rome, but it takes a little extra movie magic to transform England’s South Downs into the scrubby, sunbaked outskirts of the Eternal City. But Devil’s Dyke, a deep, V-shaped valley near Brighton, plays a vital role in the film.
Scott is believed to have filmed here in June 2023, before returning for reshoots this summer.
The decision to use an English location for a key sequence once again mirrors production on the original film. Gladiator’s iconic opening battle scene was shot in Bourne Wood, Surrey. After Scott discovered the Forestry Commission was going to remove a section of the forest, he even got permission to burn down the trees for the film.
Read our review of Gladiator II here.
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