Sets from the sequel to Gladiator will be retained in Malta as attractions but will not be displayed at the film’s shooting locations, the tourism minister has said.

“We are currently in preliminary discussions to see if the sets can be kept,” Clayton Bartolo said, adding that he hopes some sections of the set can be retained as a marker of Malta’s film legacy.

Last Tuesday, Bartolo told parliament that parts of the film sets created for the Gladiator sequel will be retained as tourist attractions as filming is set to begin this summer.

Bartolo explained that the sets are currently being built at Fort Ricasoli which, “without a doubt will be used again as a set for future films”.

The sets will not be held there because the location is a key part of Malta’s film industry’s growth, he said.

And only sections of the set will be kept as it will be impossible to keep it in its entirety, he continued – the backdrop for the Roman epic is too large to be displayed without adjustments.

That means the way the set will be displayed will not be in the same vein as Popeye Village, he added, despite using the iconic tourist attraction as an example in parliament.

“When I was talking about it in parliament, I used Popeye Village as one of the most recent examples of a film set being kept in our country.”

Popeye Village has become a tourist attraction. File photo: Shutterstock

Popeye Village is the only Maltese film set retained as a tourist attraction and includes 19 timber buildings that were used for the 1980 film Popeye.

The minister said that, unfortunately, Malta’s vision for its film industry has since “gone to the dogs,” placing blame on Nationalist governments who wanted to turn Maltese film studios into fish farms.

“If that were the case, this film would not be here and, most probably, other films would not have come to Malta.”

Bartolo emphasised that it is critical to build on legislation that can help the film industry as the sector continues to offer jobs and opportunities for Maltese and Gozitans.

The way the set will be displayed will not be in the same vein as Popeye Village

Following up on the Oscar-winning Roman epic, Ridley Scott will return to Malta to film the yet-to-be-titled Gladiator sequel.

The sequel comes 23 years after the release of Gladiator that had starred Russell Crowe as Maximus, a former general forced into becoming a gladiator under the rule of self-appointed Roman emperor Commodus, played by Joaquin Phoenix.

Filming is set to take place this summer and men, women and children from every ethnicity were wanted to fill a historically accurate Rome, complete with all the nations they conquered and enslaved. By early last month, 900 had people applied to play extras in the film.

While the list of cast members has not been confirmed, actors Paul Mescal, Barry Keoghan and Denzel Washington are expected to be starring in main roles.