'Gladiator 2' gets backlash from Malta locals: Read to know details

Ridley Scott’s upcoming historical epic ‘Gladiator 2’ is facing backlash from the locals of Malta for getting a record $50 million tax rebate.

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As reported by a local newspaper in the European country, ‘Gladiator 2’ is set to break a cinema record in the continent, collecting a whopping $50 million+ tax refund for its production.

With the Malta Film Commission’s offer of 40% cash back to the production companies for filming in the country, the ‘Gladiator’ (2000) sequel will receive €46.7 million (around $50.5 million) back on the production, the largest of the EU Commision’s cinema tax break.

Previously, Italy gave out the second-largest tax allowance, which was less than half of what ‘Gladiator 2’ will receive from the Malta Commission.

For the unversed, the massive tax rebate is part of an effort by the European Union Commission to encourage big-budget Hollywood productions in the area. However, despite being shot in the country, the ‘Gladiator’ sequel is least to benefit the locals or the economy, because the majority of foreign crew, as any other Hollywood production, going away with Maltese sources. Given this reason, the Maltese locals felt that the production bringing in almost exclusively foreign crew had taken away jobs for them.

However, Malta Film Commissioner  Johann Grech has now addressed the concerns of the natives, defending the decision of the board. In the video shared on his X (formerly termed as Twitter) handle, he said: “Those who are attacking the Maltese cash rebate incentive are attacking the stability of the film industry. This is an attack on our country, to push away foreign investment. Those who are speaking against the cash rebate are speaking against your job and your future. But we will protect your job. It is an attack on the jobs of Maltese and Gozitan people and on those who invested in the industry through their business.”

Grech assured, “For us, your job is important. When we speak to foreign production houses we realize that you are one of the main reasons we are able to bring so many films to our country and I will not let anyone stifle your work. It is another incentive like the many we give to other industries, such as the gaming and financial services industries, to attract more foreign investment. My message is for us all to unite. Divisions never got us anywhere. We are all brothers and sisters and our country always won every time we worked together. We created stability in the industry and generated work for you all year round. We will not stop here and we will not go back to becoming an industry of part-time workers. We will not leave you alone. We will protect your job.”

It is pertinent to mention that Scott’s ‘Gladiator 2’, written by David Scarpa and starring Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, Connie Nielsen, Paul Mescal, and Djimon Hounsou among others, is set for a November 2024 release.

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