Terror on the Moroccan set of Gladiator 2, the sequel to Ridley Scott’s cult peplum. Six people were injured in a pyrotechnic stunt, Variety revealed. The burns suffered do not in any way affect the vital prognosis of the victims and first aid was provided on the spot, specifies the Paramount studio. The accident happened on Wednesday, June 7. None of the main cast members were present. Friday evening, four of the injured were still hospitalized.
Paramount did not provide details on the origin of the incident. It should be noted that temperatures are very high in Ouarzazate, with 35 degrees.
Gladiator 2 takes place several decades after Gladiator, which transformed Russell Crowe into a star and made the public rediscover the delights of the peplum, the Roman Empire and its plots. This sequel features Lucius, who has become an adult. Gladiator’s baby boy possible heir to the empire upon the death of his uncle Commodus. Lucius was the grandson of Marcus Aurelius and the nephew of the terrible Emperor Commodus (prodigious and disturbing Joaquin Phoenix) against whom Maximus (Russell Crowe), rebelled. The two men clashed and killed each other in the arena.
To play Lucius, Ridley Scott chose the darling of Irish cinema: Paul Mescal. Nominated for an Oscar last January at 27 for his heartbreaking performance as a single father suffering from depression in Aftersun.
The director of Alien has assembled a cast that gives pride of place to stars and revelations of the small screen: Lior Raz (Fauda), Pedro Pascal (The Last Of Us), Joseph Quinn (Stranger Things) and May Calamawy (Moon Knight) . Seen in HBO’s satire The White Lotus, Fred Hechinger landed the role of the tragically doomed Emperor Geta and the film’s likely antagonist. Favorite son of his father the Emperor Septimius Severus, he was assassinated by his older brother Caracalla with whom he maintained a deep rivalry. Initially, Ridley Scott had chosen another young Irish prospect: Barry Keoghan. But the Inisherin Banshees star had to withdraw due to a conflicting schedule.
From the original cast return Connie Nielsen, who played Lucius’ mother, and Derek Jacobi. Denzel Washington is also in the credits. After Morocco, Gladiator 2 should return to Malta, which had already lent its landscapes and outdoor settings to the first part.
