Denzel Washington, Paul Mescal, Connie Nielsen, Pedro Pascal and Barry Keoghan are just a few stars filling the shoes of the original cast members in Gladiator 2, in cinemas this November.
To give you an idea of the hype surrounding the sequel, the original film, released in 2000 and starring Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix and Connie Nielsen, won five Academy Awards and was nominated for an additional seven. It also won two Golden Globes, was nominated for an additional three and took home the BAFTA Award for Best Film.
Directed and co-produced by Ridley Scott, the sequel is a historical drama film set two decades after the original film. It follows Lucius, played by Mescal, the former heir to the Roman Empire. When Lucius’ home is invaded by the Roman army, he’s forced to fight as a gladiator in the Colosseum.
With the first trailer from the film released this month, many are wondering where it was filmed. The movie was mostly shot in Malta, an island country between Sicily and the North African coast, but also filmed scenes in Morocco and the UK. It was shot in two chunks last year – from May to July and then from December to January this year.
The production team built a set with ancient Roman buildings and an amphitheatre near the shore at Fort Ricasoli in Malta, according to Daily Mail photos. The amphitheatre was complete with seating in the stands and vast statues lining the walls.
Fans were given a behind-the-scenes look at the set in January this year when the Malta Film Studios and Fort Ricasoli were opened to the public for a day, reports Times of Malta. The news site said that last June, Malta’s tourism minister Clayton Bartolo announced the sets from the film would be kept in Malta as tourist attractions.
In Morocco, Gladiator 2 was filmed at several locations in Ouarzazate, a city in the High Atlas Mountains known as the gateway to the Sahara Desert. Its historic fortified Kasbah Taorirt is home to a 19th-century palace featured in several other movies, including the original Gladiator, The Mummy and Game of Thrones.
“Locations have been chosen in the Moroccan city of Ouarzazate, which is building a reputation as a favourite site for movie makers due to its dramatic landscapes,” reported The Sun last year.
The cast was also spotted shooting at several locations in England, including Devil’s Duke, a V-shaped valley in Sussex. The original film also used a UK location, Bourne Wood in Surrey, as a shooting location.
“While primary cinematography had originally taken place in Morocco, reshoots had to happen in the English National Trust park,” reported The Independent UK.
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