Ridley Scott addresses aGladiator IIfilming incident that put crew members in the hospital. The sequel to the Oscar-winning historical epicGladiator, which came out in 2000,continues its Roman Empire-based tale by telling the story of Lucius (Paul Mescal), the son of Russell Crowe’s Maximus. The film has been getting a lot of attention and press ahead of its release today, as it has been considered for Oscar buzz and Scott’s own attempt at redemption following a streak of disappointments in the last few years.TheGladiator IIcastfeatures Denzel Washington, Connie Nielsen, Pedro Pascal, Fred Hechinger, and Mescal.
Speaking withThe Hollywood Reporter, Scott briefly described a terrifying on-set incident that sentGladiator IIcrew members to hospital. Firstly, Scott’s production was so intense that it saw the production running up to 11 cameras at once. The massive scale of the production led to several accidents, includinga monkey attacking actor Hechinger and a fire stunt gone wrong.The fire accident was the more severe case, as a couple of crew members had to go to the hospital to be treated for burns. Scott comments on the situation below:
They were OK, but they did get scorched — very unfortunate.
What This Means For Gladiator II
Its Large Scale Came At A Price
The accidents suffered on the set ofGladiator IIare ultimately a testament to the intensity of the film’s production. Whilethe studio reported that the official budget was around $250 million, it has also been disputed that the production cost was as high as $300 million. Nevertheless, this price indicates the major undertaking of creating the sequel under Scott’s direction.Gladiator IIdeployed its budget to make massive set pieces (such as a reconstructed Colosseum), intense fight training, and over-the-top stunts. The monkey and the fire elements were a part of this process, but unfortunately, these did not go as well as the team planned.
Gladiator 2 Reviews Explained: Biggest Takeaways, RT Score & How They Compare To The Original Movie
Critics have begun revealing their thoughts about Gladiator 2, complete with comparisons, key takeouts, and a healthy Rotten Tomatoes score.
The fire incident was reported in June last year, where a stunt in Morocco caused six crew members to get injured and get various burns. Paramount released a statement on the situation, stating: “An accident occurred during which several crew members experienced non-life-threatening injuries.” Theyconcluded that the affected individuals were in stable condition, with the sequel managing to wrap production in January of this year. This statement by Scott now marks the first time that anyone addressed the incident since last summer.
This is also not uncommon for Scott’s historical movies that thrive to be fully epic in scale, which means minimizing much CGI use and going for high-scale production
Despite the incidents on set,Gladiator IIhas already been praised for its practical effects and visual spectacles of the world, including the Colosseum. This is also not uncommon forScott’s historical moviesthat thrive to be fully epic in scale, which means minimizing much CGI use and going for high-scale production. Given the movie’s hefty budget, however, many pundits will now be watching if the acclaimed director may get his redemption with the movie, particularly to justify the cost and end his streak of disappointments.
Our Take On The Gladiator II Set Accidents
Gladiator II May Have Pushed Things Too Far
Even seasoned actors such as Washington reported being impressed and surprised by the scale ofGladiator II’s production. The descriptions of these accidents show, however, that bigger does not always mean better from a production standpoint. The sequel is likely to do fairly well in theaters, but this weekend will be a major indicator of how its box office run will be overall. Its box office returns should hopefully make enough money forGladiator IIto justify its large budget and risky production.
Gladiator II
Cast
Gladiator 2 is the follow-up to Ridley Scott’s award-winning film Gladiator from 2000. Scott returns to direct the sequel, with Paul Mescal staring as Lucius, alongside Denzel Washington and Joseph Quinn as the villain Emperor Geta. Gladiator 2 had been stuck in development hell for years before a script written by David Scarpa finally moved forward.
