Everybody knew it had to be big. More than two decades after having a huge hit and winning Best Picture with “Gladiator,” Ridley Scott was not going to be low-key in the opening sequences of his long-awaited sequel “Gladiator II.”
“I crept in the back of Ridley’s media room, and he was deep in conversation with Neil Corbould,” cinematographer John Mathieson said. “They were discussing doing a sea battle in the Sahara.”
He paused for a second. “Which is not known for its coastal regions. There were some bottles of Ridley’s rosé there, which I have to recommend as a very drinkable rosé.