‘Gladiator II’ is set in ancient Rome and North Africa, but where was Ridley Scott’s epic actually filmed?

Like the first film, parts were filmed in Morocco and Malta, while director Ridley Scott also filmed key scenes in his native England.

It was here that Rome, the Colosseum and the African kingdom of Numidia were created, some on locations used by Scott in previous films.

The Colosseum was rebuilt at Fort Ricasoli in Kalkara, Malta

The arena where Lucius (Paul Mescal) fights Marcus Acacius (Pedro Pascal) has been reconstructed at Fort Ricasoli in Kalkara, Malta, the same location that was used in the first “Gladiator.” The fort, built in the 17th century by the Order of Saint John, was also used at “Troy” and “Napoleon”.

Decorator Arthur Max said Condé Nast Traveler that the crew had much less time to build the sets than on “Gladiator”.

He added that the site’s limestone walls “gave us a free head start” and that they used the location more than in the first film, going so far as to discover, under the supervision of the department archaeological, ancient “stairs and entrances” under “rubble and ruins”.

The Numidian battle was filmed in Morocco

The battle between the Numidian and Roman armies, in which Lucius’ wife is killed and he and King Jugurtha (Peter Mensah) taken prisoner, was filmed in the desert town of Ouarzazate, Morocco, using the setting of Jerusalem from the “Kingdom of Heaven”. “We enlarged the walls, put roofs on the towers, put geometric patterns on all the doors and added ceramic tiles with Numidian characteristics. And then we blew it up,” Max said.

The now-defunct North African kingdom was located roughly where Algeria is today. At the film’s Los Angeles premiere, Mensah told TheWrap that 20 years earlier he was in the same location filming “Hidalgo.”

According to Travel + Leisure Magazinethe city, known as the gateway to the Sahara Desert, was also used in “Lawrence of Arabia,” “The Mummy” and “Game of Thrones.”

Malta’s old forts dating back to the Napoleonic era came in handy

Max told Condé Nast Traveler: “Malta was riddled with old forts dating from the Napoleonic era up until the Second World War, and all built of this similar limestone… We used Fort Delimara for the interior tunnels of the Colosseum and Fort Manoel as (the place) where gladiator training takes place.

Filming also took place at Devil’s Dyke in England

Fans on social media spotted extras dressed as Roman soldiers in the UK’s Valley, located in the South Downs of Sussex. This setting appears to be the final confrontation as the Roman army marches to confront the opposing factions.