Works for the sequel to Gladiator, the best-picture winning 2000 blockbuster, to begin filming in Malta are underway – with superstar Denzel Washington “in negotiations” to join the Ridley Scott team on the island.

Washington is set to join Paul Mescal, who would lead the movie alongside Barry Keoghan. Washington will play Mescal’s nemesis.

Thousands of local extras are expected to be called in for the sequel, with filming expected to take place at Fort Ricasoli, where hundreds of workers are already turning to zone into a setting that includes a Roman-era Colosseum.

The story is set to focus on Lucius, the son of Connie Nielsen’s Lucilla as well as the nephew of Joaquin Phoenix’s Commodus, with a release date of November 2024 set by Paramount.

The story will take place around two decades after the first film, with Lucius becoming a grown man ready to seek his destiny.

Billboards had appeared around Malta over the last few months advertising jobs within the film industry. Malta’s film industry is often attractive to foreign investments due to major tax breaks for large productions.

This production comes after director Ridley Scott just finished shooting his latest film, Napoleon, in Malta, alongside Joaquin Phoenix once again.