Gladiator 2 faced some trouble during filming, which led to them only having filmed a scene with baboons for a large part of production.
Gladiator 2 is the sequel to one of the most iconic action movies of the early 2000s that left us thoroughly entertained. Sadly, the production was having trouble really kicking off, which left the project with only a scene about the protagonist duking it out with a bunch of baboons.
The first movie ended with the epic bout between Maximus (Russel Crowe) and the corrupt emperor Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix), bringing their grudges to a close as Maximus coming out on top despite both of them dying. The sequel pick up from there and follow Lucius, the nephew of Commodus, as a grown man.
So what does this setting have to do with baboons? Well, good question!
Ridley Scott Had Nothing But Baboons To Work With
Filming for Gladiator 2 started some time in June 2023 and was set to take place in Malta and the United Kingdom over the following four months. Guess what got in the way of that, right, the SAG-AFTRA strike, which haunted Hollywood like the Boogeyman kids, or apparently Baboons Ridley Scott.
With the strikes starting July 14, 2023, bringing filming to a halt, Scott only had about 90 minutes of filmed material to work with, which included a scene in which the hero fights a pack of baboons, he told The New Yorker.
Ridley Scott himself admits that his choices “tend to be random”, and after listening to his explanation of why he wanted to include baboons in his movie, we agree!
Apparently, Scott had been haunted by a video of baboons attacking tourists in Johannesburg, which inspired him to include them as a terrifying presence in his movie.
Baboons are carnivores. Can you hang from that roof for two hours by your left leg? No! A baboon can.
Listening to Scott, we now agree that including baboons was definitely the right call! Maybe you should build an entire franchise out of that premise. You could call it Planet of the Apes or something.