‘Gladiator 2’ Director And Cast Targeted By PETA Over Animal Use Claims
PETA and Animal Liberation Malta have written to Gladiator 2 director Ridley Scott, asking him to refrain from using live animals on set.
The two organisations have continued to receive complaints about animal use and in the correspondence to Scott (acquired by TMZ), PETA says it has received whistleblower complaints that a horse’s leg gave out on set.
This is likely due to the scorching heat beating down on them and the fact that the animals are in costume. It says:
“Scorching summer heat and oppressive costumes are a dangerous mix for horses, who are naturally skittish animals, prone to flight and injury, and vulnerable to the stresses of a film set.”
The letter was aimed at the director as well as his star-studded cast – Pedro Pascal, Denzel Washington, Paul Mescal and more.
“The film and TV industries have a past riddled with on-set horse injuries and even deaths. We sincerely hope Gladiator 2 avoids adding another death to that list,” PETA adds.
Screenshot of letter sent by PETA to Scott Ridley (Source: TMZ)
Apart from the use of horses, the letter also mentions the dangers of working with macaques explaining that it is “within a monkey’s nature to solve problems with aggression, so they can and will attack and bite humans. Their teeth are sharp, their jaws are strong, and their bites are often severe”.
Additionally, despite the SAG-AFTRA strike, PETA claims it has heard rumours regarding the continuation of the movie’s production, and implores Scott to use CGI instead.
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