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To the unversed, the proposition thatGladiator 2had already made $49 million even before it hit the theatres would seem unbelievable at best, and idiotic at worst. However, for the Maltese government, in particular the Maltese Film Commissioner, it is all a part of the plan.
As the Pedro Pascal starrer looks set to become one of the greatest beneficiaries of the Maltese rebates for production houses, there was a lot of buzz in the upper echelons of Malta that the movie would do wonders for the island nation. Ridley Scott had other plans (rather advice).
Ridley Scott rips Malta apart in interview with Christopher Nolan
Malta is one of the many nations which imparts production houses with a cashback of up to 40% if they film in the country. The rationale? The government believes that filming will have a two-pronged benefit for the nation – firstly, it will stimulate inflow into the local economy, and secondly, it will attract tourism.
They aren’t wrong. After all Malta, with its cultural and architectural heritage, is a treasure trove for any history maniac. EvenRidley Scott, the man behindGladiator 2and its predecessor, has hailed the beauty of the architecture.
Sadly, that wasn’t the only thing he had to say about the nation. While Scott was in conversation with Christopher Nolan, he highlighted that the country shouldn’t be on the top of any tourist’s list.
I wouldn’t advise going there on holiday. I would not go back there on holiday. But the architecture goes from medieval right through to renaissance, and when it’s good, it’s spectacular.(YouTube)
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While the praise contributes little to the island nation’s objective behind the glorious cash-back scheme, the Maltese Film Commissioner did not hesitate to share the clip, albeit after making some tweaks.
Ridley Scott’s statements raise questions about the Maltese Film Commissioner
Johann Grech, the Film Commissioner, took the opportunity to share the clip from Ridley Scott’s interview on Facebook, after cutting out the part where Scott advises the world not to visit Malta.
In the clip he shared on his social media handle, theNapoleandirector can be seen paying homage to Malta’s rich architectural heritage. The same video would be shared by theGladiator’sFacebook page. Grech thought that no one would notice that the video had been edited.
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Alas! It had been seen only by thousands of people at the time. The number of viewers of the interview, uploaded by Paramount Pictures on YouTube, currently stands at 83,000.
It doesn’t come as a shock that many people were fed up with the Film Commissioner for unabashedly sharing the clip. After all, anyone ought to lose it if a man who had just pocketed a rebate of $49 million (Napoleanbrought in €13 million as well) spoke ill of their nation.
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The Shadow Culture Minister Julie Zahra had some tough words for the Commissioner, imploring him to bite the bullet for his humiliation at the hands of the 87-year-old. She said,
(Grech) ended up being attacked by the one who benefited the most from these cash rebates.(Times of Malta)
She wasn’t amiss. Former Opposition leader, Adrian Delia called Scott out for showing a lack of respect for the Maltese people and their heritage.
Smriti Sneh
Articles Published :479
Smriti Sneh is a Content Writer at Fandom Wire specializing in celebrities and everything pop-culture. Being a literature research scholar, she is cashing in on her writing skills by working in the entertainment news sector - studying literary theories by day, and navigating celebrity net worth through the night. Although you may find her writing poems at any and all hours.
