We are enormously proud to have scooped the prize for finding and arranging the only UK location for the making of Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II.
With Malta and Morocco commanding the almost-entire location backdrops for the film, the English contribution came in the form of a stunning 100 acre field in Sussex.
The field battle scene was filmed at Firedown Farm, near Brighton, on the edge of the South Downs. This farm is the only privately-owned location within the iconic Devil’s Dyke area and even with very tight lead times, Firedown Farm made it easy to accommodate 60+ horses, and over 700 crew, soldiers and cast.
Filmed in June 2024, it was the farm’s dramatic sweeping valley slopes and clear horizons that swung the vote for Scott to direct a momentous battle scene on English soil.
As Time Out comments: “It’s one thing turning Morocco and Malta into Rome, but it takes a little extra movie magic to transform England’s South Downs into the scrubby, sunbaked outskirts of the Eternal City. But this deep, V-shaped valley near Brighton, plays a vital role in the film. The decision to use an English location for a key sequence once again mirrors production on the original film”
How was a roman road made in a day? Where Gladiator II was filmed
With such short lead times between finding and hiring the location, the owner of Firedown Farm was deployed for various supporting roles – and that included laying the roman road across his field. It was made entirely from cow manure with the farmer doing all the carting and creating!
Photo taken on the farm tractor, carting cow manure to create the “roman road”
Huge thanks to Andy Buckley, Cecile Howard and Ross Monaghan for being a great locations team to work with.
The Gladiator II farm location is Firedown Farm, Sussex
Firedown Farm is available for hire for all types of production. More details can be found here