ADG Perspective

January-February 2025

Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1531774

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2 8 P E R S P E C T I V E | J A N U A R Y / F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 5 Recreating the Roman world for Gladiator II presented significant challenges because the fascinating ancient world of the original Gladiator, which at the time of its release in 2000, had set a new standard in historical epics not seen on-screen for more than forty years. The new story is set just twenty-five years after the end of the first film. Only the blink of an eye in the relation to the 1200-year-long history of the Roman world. There would have been continuity to their design that the production wanted to retain from the original film, as well as trying to introduce new and compelling environments which would transport the audience deeper into this exotic world. Reimagining this opulent, brutal and ultra decadent world involved not only historical research, but also taking inspiration from the Orientalist and Romantic painters of the 18th and 19th centuries who brought it to life in such vivid detail. At this point in time, the territory of the Roman Empire had expanded to its maximum scale, including the entire Mediterranean coast as far north as Brittania (England and Scotland), as far east as Palestrina (Syria and Israel), and the coast of Numidia (Morocco and Algeria). It was a very cosmopolitan, poly-cultural and diverse ethnic world which this sequel wanted to incorporate into the production design. We also wanted to preserve the continuity of the original film and introduce new and compelling environments which would transport the audience, both those people new to the Gladiator world, as well as the returning audience, back to this fabulously opulent, morally decadent and ultraviolent world. This was to turn out to be something of a monumental task that involved logistic planning, historical research, many construction and traditional craftspeople, as well as technology. The film's approach to the sequel's locations and set design was to revisit the same three countries where the original was made so successfully; "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." We began by going back to the UK, where we set up the Art Department, set decoration, construction, SFX, armory and prop department offices and workshops just as we had A n c i e n t R o m e R e v i s i t e d : D E S I G N I N G G L A D I A T O R I I B Y A R T H U R M A X , P R O D U C T I O N D E S I G N E R A. ROMAN WARSHIPS APPROACH NUMIDIAN SEA WALL. PRODUCTION STILL. B. SECTION VIEW OF ROMAN SIEGE SHIP AND NUMIDIAN SEA WALL. C. ELEVATION OF NUMIDIAN SEA WALL. D. NUMIDIAN SEA WALL WITH TANK. SET PHOTO. E. ROMAN WARSHIPS ON SFX BASES IN MOROCCO. SET PHOTO. A

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