Ridley Scott has sought to patch things up with Malta, saying his comment about the country being a poor choice for a holiday was “an attempt at humour that unfortunately got lost”.
The Gladiator II director said he “always considered Malta a jewel in the Mediterranean” and that he looked forward to returning.
Scott, 87, is one of Hollywood’s foremost directors. Four of his films – White Squall, Gladiator, Gladiator II and Napoleon – were filmed mostly in Malta.
The filmmaker sparked controversy last week after he said, in an interview with fellow director Christopher Nolan, that he would not recommend Malta as a holiday destination.
"Malta is a treasure trove of architecture. I wouldn't advise going there on holiday," he said to snickers from the live audience.
Scott has now said that was a joke that fell flat.
In a statement sent to Times of Malta, the filmmaker said he was trying to make the point “that I have spent so much time on the island over the years - working, exploring, enjoying, and watching it change and evolve - that I wouldn’t need to take a holiday there!”
The director noted that he had done some of his best work in Malta, which described as “wonderful” and “welcoming” and emphasised that his films had in turn “brought significant resources and opportunities to the country, as any major film production(s) would.”
“Malta (and the city of Valletta) has always been a place of artistic inspiration for me. My deep and sincere hope is - in the ever-changing times we live in - the long-term preservation of Maltese culture and traditions, so future generations can enjoy and learn from this country’s unique and diverse history,” Scott said.
Gladiator II, which premiered in theatres last month, is believed to have cost more than $250 million to produce.
Producers were able to claw back a significant chunk of that outlay - €47 million ($49 million) – thanks to a cash rebate scheme that Malta offers film productions.
While Malta has offered rebates to foreign films for years, the current scheme is a significantly expanded one that also allows foreign productions to claw back expenses incurred outside of Malta, provided they can prove those items or services could not be procured locally.
A Gladiator II producer described the Maltese rebate scheme as “the most generous in the world”.
“We took around 500 people to Malta and we were able to get the rebate on all of those people and that equipment,” the producer said.