Forget Rome, the Real 'Gladiator II' Travel Inspiration Is Morocco
Pedro Pascal's behind-the-scenes photos featuring Paul Mescal have everyone wanderlusting.
I did not need much encouragement to watch Ridley Scott’s sequel to Gladiator (2000). Hero’s journeys, Roman politics, and sword fighting? I’m there. Denzel Washington delivering that kilowatt smile and omniscient chuckle? I’m in. Pedro Pascal and Paul Mescal wielding big heavy swords in leather tank tops? I’m firmly seated. But the marketing team behind Gladiator II (releasing in theaters on November 22) has put the cast to work with everything from magazine photo shoots to viral video interviews.
The latest marketing move comes from Pedro Pascal’s Instagram page. His post, just 24 hours before the movie is scheduled to release, features 20 photos from behind the scenes of filming Gladiator II. And yeah, watching little videos of Pascal and Mescal grappling in short shorts and going on picnics did make me and everyone I know want to watch the movie even more.
But it also had a second, maybe less intended impact: It made me want to travel with my friends to Morocco immediately. Forget the Colosseum and crowded streets in Rome—the wide open spaces featured in Pascal’s candid pictures are infinitely more appealing. Within hours of the photos circulating online, I received multiple texts from friends, gushing not only about the photos but the backdrop. “We need to go here,” one text read. Another just said, “2025?”
The first step to planning a trip to the ultra cinematic where the photos were taken was determining where in Morocco Gladiator II was filmed. It took only a few minutes to figure out that the primary filming location in Morocco was Ouarzazate, a city south of Morocco’s High Atlas mountains.
The city sits on the edge of the Sahara desert and is considered “Morocco’s Hollywood.” It is also near Ksar Aït Ben Haddou, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that dates back to the 17th century and served as a trade hub.
If you also saw these photos and were immediately hit with some wanderlust, it’s good to know that Marrakesh is just over three hours away from Ouarzazate, meaning you can find more affordable flights into the country. Ouarzazate is also just six hours away from the stunning surf town Essasouria so that you could expand your Gladiator-inspired trip to a full tour of some of Morocco’s most beautiful locations.
Just remember, your 2025 trip to Morocco will not include the cast of Gladiator II.
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