The actors will be joining the writers on the picket line as of Friday morning as SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP failed to reach an agreement Wednesday night. This is going to have a devastating effect on the industry, but it isn’t just contained to Hollywood or even the U.S., as many locations outside of the country will also be impacted, including the island nation of Malta, where many a blockbuster has been filmed.
This tiny country has been home to numerous huge hits, with the likes of Troy, World War Z, Game of Thrones, Jurassic World Dominion, Murder on the Orient Express, and Assassin’s Creed, among many others thanks to its architecture, stunning Mediterranean landscape, and filming facilities. One notable film that was shot there was set to return this summer but the strike has reportedly put that on an indefinite hold.
Ridley Scott’s Gladiator 2 was set to see the director return to Malta with the country providing extras ready to get back in their ancient garbs and crew ready to get going. Now, according to the Times of Malta, they have all been told: “not to report for duties.” One film producer, Martin Bonnici, says that these individuals are at risk of losing their jobs if the strike goes on for too long.
The strike has meant that SAG members Pedro Pascal and Denzel Washington, who were set to star in the sequel, will not be able to join the set. Filming for the historical epic had already commenced on the island back in June and was initially set to last four months, utilizing locations used in the last Gladiator film such as Fort Ricasoli, but all that now seems to have been put on pause.
Malta has seen a huge uptick in filming happening on the island in recent years, with €85 million brought into the national economy in 2022 alone, prompting the Maltese government to invest in training filmmakers. With the industry so easily rocked by events happening on the other side of the world, it can place these workers in a tricky position as they now find themselves. This is the situation that many countries that welcome Hollywood filming will find themselves in, as with no Hollywood actors, you have no production.
It shows just how widespread and damaging the strike will be, so we can only hope that SAG-AFTRA, the WGA, and AMPTP will be able to come to an agreement soon, one that benefits the writers and the actors and not just the CEOs and shareholders of these massive studios. Then Malta’s extra and film crew can get on with being an integral part of another Scott epic.
Gladiator 2 is currently scheduled for release on Nov. 22, 2024.