Director Ridley Scott has expressed his wish to restart shooting of the Gladiator sequel in Malta by the beginning of December as the film industry emerges from a crippling strike.

Scott has signalled December 4 as a potential date to restart the shoot of the multi-million film at Ricasoli, Kalkara, sources close to the industry said. 

Hollywood's actors' union had ordered the strike against film and television studios after talks over pay and other working conditions collapsed. Though a break into the impasse was announced on Thursday, insiders say the deal is still volatile and could still be scuppered. 

The Malta shoot of Gladiator has recruited hundreds of extras and film crew to work on the sequel of the original Oscar-winning film. 

The shoot of the film, which features Denzel Washington, Barry Keoghan, Connie Nielsen and Pedro Pascal, began early in June and was originally set to last four months. 

Scott revealed in a profile with the New Yorker that during the strike he managed to edit about 90 minutes of the film, including a scene where the hero fights a pack of baboons.

One source said: “It’s a big machine to restart by the beginning of December, but pending any last-minute hitches, the filming in Malta could restart soon". 

Paramount had set a November 2024 release for the film but the strike could well delay the date.