In March 2001, producer the Oscar for best picture from Michael Douglas, thus setting the highest possible bar for the, at that point, already discussed sequel to ’s historical epic. At the end of his speech, Wick paid tribute to his family by lovingly saying that “all roads lead to” them, and the metaphor proved to be true in more ways than one. His partner in life, , left her decorated career as a studio executive to become producing partners with Wick at Red Wagon Entertainment, and together they’d shepherd over a dozen more films, including Oscar winners (2005) and (2013), as well as the under-appreciated gem known as (2012). In between it all, they never lost sight of as various scripts were commissioned, such as Nick Cave’s wild take that resurrected ’s Maximus Decimus Meridius as an immortal warrior who fought on behalf of the Roman gods. But the convoluted attempts to bring back their Oscar-winning leading man never truly took flight. “There were funny ideas for a sequel, but obviously, Russell’s character was dead. The idea of him making his way back through the afterlife was always a little bit doomed,” Wick tells . “So the fact that we killed two of our leads [Crowe’s Maximus and Joaquin Phoenix’s Commodus] created a particularly challenging circumstance.” The turning point came when the creative team refocused on Lucilla’s (Connie Nielsen) son, Lucius, who was originally portrayed by Spencer Treat Clark. Fans have always theorized that Lucius was Maximus’ illegitimate son, but the brain trust didn’t finalize that choice until much later. After all, the revelation about Lucius would’ve undercut Maximus’ quest to avenge his murdered nuclear family. “Maximus was always his spiritual father, but we never determined at the time that Maximus was actually his biological father,” Wick says. Once joined the fold to play adult Lucius, another came when he was conceived to be the lost prince who resented the city of Rome for ripping his family apart and forcing him to live in exile under another identity. According to Wick, it was also important that the second century story reflect our present to some degree. “All period movies have to be a mirror to our times or they don’t deserve to live,” Wick stresses. “The idea of billionaires on both the left and the right who are more and more buying their way into government is a very modern story.” If the wasn’t enough of a challenge, the enterprise then faced generationally rare obstacles mid-production due to the writers and actors’ strikes throughout 2023. The former required them to prematurely begin production, and the latter caused them to shut down with at least a couple months of remaining work to fulfill. While the stoppage allowed everyone to assemble a cut and make improvements once filming resumed, the size of the film was so robust that costs mounted despite cameras no longer rolling. “The scale of making this movie was so massive that we might not ever see it again. So starting production was a military operation, and so was shutting it down,” Fisher explains. “We had 450 hotel rooms to close down, and we still had to keep renting everything, like all the scaffolding to hold up the Colosseum. We didn’t know when we were going to come back.” The dilemmas also extended to post-production, as Scott’s initial cut was . As a result, the editorial team, in conjunction with Scott and the producing team, had to kill their figurative darlings, including a scene where Nielsen’s Lucilla bids adieu to her deceased husband, Acacius (Pedro Pascal). In addition, Wick confirms that ’s entire role hit the cutting room floor due to the overlong runtime. “Even as we are, we’re a long movie. So you have to see what works and what’s essential,” Wick admits. “Connie had a wonderful [deleted] scene where she basically said goodbye to [Pedro’s character’s] corpse, so you just always have to make choices about what’s essential.” Below, during a recent conversation with , Wick and Fisher discuss all this and more, including the *** We definitely wavered. It was a strange journey. At one point, we were in Tokyo, creating 1930s Kyoto [for ]. Another time we were in Sydney doing 1920s Long Island for . There were all these other adventures, but our hearts were always in ancient Rome. We had gotten so lucky on the first movie. If you do this for a while, you know it’s always a minor miracle for a movie to turn out that good, and we were determined that we weren’t going to do a sequel unless we really felt it deserved to be made. Like Doug said, there was so much pressure to live up to the first one, and if we were going to do it, we certainly didn’t want to be a pale imitation. We wanted to figure out a story and a character that would be deserving, and while we always knew it was going to be the surviving character of Lucius, we didn’t quite know what the story was. We eventually found the idea of the reluctant prince, and that’s when it all began to click. It makes our careers seem paltry, but n between movies, which is more than most other people. So we were all busy at different times, and then a number of years ago, we really started to work on the development of the story, which did take a few years. Well, I knew Ridley from . I worked at Fox as the vice president when he was making , so I’ve actually known him for a long time. And, being the lucky “plus one,” I knew most of the crew already. Interestingly enough, we threw a birthday party for Ridley while we were on location in Malta, and other than a different editor [Claire Simpson] who’s been with him steadily for almost 10 years, I looked around the table and saw literally the same heads of department. They were always ready to come back. No, but we later did with Nick Cave, who we love. [ ] On a joking level, right after the first movie opened, Russell Crowe’s agent called me and said, “I have an idea: they carry Maximus’ body out of the corner of the arena. They put the stretcher down, he gets up and they all high five and say, ‘It worked. They believe he’s dead.’ That would be the beginning of the sequel.” So there were funny ideas for a sequel, but obviously, Russell’s character was dead. The idea of him making his way back through the afterlife was always a little bit doomed, so the fact that we killed two of our leads [Crowe’s Maximus and Joaquin Phoenix’s Commodus] created a particularly challenging circumstance. You could say Ridley Scott was the real star a little bit, and Ridley being your tour guide to Ancient Rome is always going to be an event. But it’s a fight movie, so you’re trying to move story and character forward through a series of fights, and that’s particularly challenging. So that’s why getting a story that stood on its own was so elusive for that long period of time. And it wasn’t like we were working on it every day for two-plus decades. I did with Tony Scott in the middle of that, so I was still around the Scotts. And because had worked so well, we talked a lot about it. We like to say that we had to Besides the idea of Lucius as the lost prince, it was someone who hated everything about Rome, making the movie a homecoming. We know enough about movies to know that the more they’re about family, the more solid you are. We then talked for a long time about what the ending of Lucius’s journey would be. He’d return, he’d possibly reunite with his mother, but would he burn down the Colosseum and leave? And many of our breakthroughs were visual because Ridley thinks visually. As we would talk about all these thematics, he’d always look a little bored, and then he’d come in with a visual solution. And his visual solution to the end involved Lucius being pulled like a magnet towards his destiny as a Roman and his destiny with his family. All of his attempts to cut away his past, to cauterize himself and separate himself from it, would fail. As much as Lucius hated Rome and wanted to be no part of Rome, the events have swept him along to where he is very much a Roman. So Ridley’s idea for the very last image is that it then dawns on him that it’s happened. We suddenly had a beginning and an end, and that’s when we knew we had the movie. There were a lot of other challenges including the antagonist, because we didn’t want the antagonist to be another depraved emperor. So there was a long journey to . Also, all period movies have to be a mirror to our times or they don’t deserve to live. And the idea of billionaires on both the left and the right who are more and more buying their way into government is a very modern story. So there were a lot of pieces of the puzzle. No, we weren’t sure of it. It wasn’t ingrained the whole time. Maximus was always his spiritual father, but we never determined at the time that Maximus was actually his biological father. Yes, at heart, he’s always a painter. He still thinks visually as he did then. The thing with Ridley is that the longer you keep him in the room, he’s like the golden goose. If you pretended the door to the development room was locked in order to keep him in there a little bit longer, he would just have so many great solutions. In the first movie, Maximus was a combat general, so, of course, he was going to be formidable in the arena. But here we have an angry young man, a lost prince, so we talked a lot about how and why he is going to win in the arena. Ridley then had to suffer through a lot of thematic conversations about rage and fury. But one day, Ridley said, “In the scene with the baboons, the alpha baboon is going to kill Lucius’s mentor. Lucius will then be so enraged that he will bite the arm of the alpha baboon, spit out his flesh, and the baboon will realize there’s a new alpha in town.” So Ridley is a remarkable talent in that he can absorb all of these story challenges and then have them catalyze into a scene or a moment. He has a very unusual style of shooting. He hardly ever shot with less than eight cameras. Sometimes, there were 12 or more. So most directors wouldn’t know how to do that and wouldn’t want to either, because it’s a whole other brain set that he acquired from his early days as an operator. He came in way under schedule on this movie. He’s a machine in terms of being prepared. He storyboards everything. That’s always been part of his process, but you’ll wake up in the morning to a whole new scene with every angle storyboarded so that everyone is on the same page. So he always leaves room for improvement or serendipity or whatever you want to call it. He shoots films almost like a playlet because all the characters are sitting in the same scene; they’re not being shot on different days. So your closeup is happening when your wide shot is happening, and he never does an over-the-shoulder shot. The camera is always moving. So we were always watching eight monitors simultaneously. You can’t even watch the dailies because there’s 14 hours of dailies. He just has a different way of working than anyone that we have worked with, and luckily for us, we have worked with many of the greats: Mike Nichols, Francis Ford Coppola, Steven Spielberg, George Miller. With all those cameras, we’d shoot both the emperor’s box and the floor of the arena at the same time. So the reactions of Denzel and Connie are being shot while they’re looking down at Paul with a mechanical rhinoceros. And after the first few days, I said to Denzel, “How’s it going for you?” And he said, “It’s been such a long time since I worked as an extra.” ( ) With all the reliance on computers, there may not be another build this big. We built not only the arena, but blocks of ancient Rome. And all the actors will tell you how the physical setting helped immerse them in the world, especially one that has a life-size statue of Pedro Pascal’s general on a horse. The VFX that are available now make the impossible possible. They wanted a rhino for the first movie, but it was too expensive. On the first one, I actually spoke to some animal trainers about getting a rhino because it was too expensive to do it all by computer. But rhinos don’t see well, and once they start running, they’re almost impossible to stop. So that was a complete disaster waiting to happen. But Ridley really wanted his rhino [in the sequel], and his team is so great that they also created a mechanical rhino so that the actors could still interact with something tangible. When we did , Geena Davis was always talking to her empty hand. Also, to shoot ships in the arena, all of the ships were wheeled onto the dry arena floor. The visual effects people then put in the water later. It’s much harder to control boats on water, so that made that scene doable in a way that would have been almost impossible 25 years ago. We shot the opening battle with all the Roman ships on the sand in Morocco. The boats were being dragged across sand. He was not happy to have to pay for his own set. Part of the producer’s job is to keep your eye on the ball in the middle of all this chaos. There’s so many problems to solve, and that’s where movies forget what their priorities are or what they’re about. So you’re always looking for the silver lining. Because of the writers’ strike, we started a little bit before we were ready. We then had to stop for the actors’ strike, and that pause allowed us to do a quick assembly of the movie. So we had the incredible luxury of seeing an assembly in the middle of shooting. David Scarpa, the writer, also got to see it, and then we all had conversations about what was and wasn’t working. We talked about what adjustments might be needed and what opportunities we might want to pick up in the first half of the movie based on what we were learning. So that was really invaluable. On the minus side, the scale of making this movie was so massive that we might not ever see it again. So starting production was a military operation, and so was shutting it down. We often had more than a thousand extras on set and a crew of 450 in Morocco. We had 80 tents just to store the props and for the extras’ hair and makeup. There was no infrastructure that was big enough for us, so there were literally 80 tents. The day before we had to stop shooting, we had 2,000 extras on set. Our last day before shutting down was a sunset in Malta, and the next day it was dark. So we had 450 hotel rooms to close down, and we still had to keep renting everything, like all the scaffolding to hold up the Colosseum. We didn’t know when we were going to come back. Paul Mescal also had to continue working out because you can’t get in that kind of shape in ten minutes. You have to keep it. And the Colosseum became weathered, so we had to refurbish it with paint and age it all over again. It was all an enormous undertaking. Luckily, we had brilliant line producers in Aidan Elliott and Raymond Kirk. And when we finally got to go back, we then had to stop again for Christmas. So there was a massive transportation bill to ship all those people back and forth, but everybody was so eager to work on this movie no matter what came our way. Interestingly enough, we haven’t read much that’s focused on that. I don’t know whether it’s because people are still in shock in real life, but we were stunned at how prescient it turned out to be. Anecdotally, we’ve had several people write to us and talk to us about how good it felt to have our higher angels celebrated in terms of the swamp of politics. So that has come across from a few people, but we don’t yet know the larger public reaction. We’ve gotten responses about the celebration of a dream and higher ideals, where everything isn’t just the low road. So I hope it resonates that way with the public. Having seen the movie somewhere between 50 and 100 times, I get choked up every time the armies yell “aye” after Lucius asks, “Dare we rebuild that dream together?” We so want to feel hope. Of the reactions that we have gotten, people have told us that they’re still thinking about it the next day. Sometimes, you see a movie that was really good, but then you can’t remember anything the next day. So, hopefully, this one will have some sticking power for a lot of people. Yeah, very clearly. Even as we are, we’re a long movie. So, yeah, very simply, it can’t be longer, and you have to see what works and what’s essential. Connie had a wonderful [deleted] scene where she basically said goodbye to [Pedro’s character’s] corpse, so you just always have to make choices about what’s essential. Nothing would be more fun, but I would say that we’re going to hold the same standard for making a third movie. There’s too many bad sequels and quick money grabs. So we’ll hold to our standards, but we hope to, and would love to, return to ancient Rome. To be able to do it again under the right circumstances, there’s nothing we’d like to do more. No, what this movie and others have proven is that the big theatrical event movie is the one sure thing in this business. So that point was more about technology. Things are now more likely to be computer generated than practically built. Doug is more the optimist, and I’m more the pessimist or the realist. We’re at a crossroads. People have always yearned for stories and entertainment, and whether it was VHS or DVD, each time it was like, “Oh, it’s over.” And then it wasn’t, because the eagerness for people to be together in a room and watch a story that resonates with them is a real instinct that human beings have. But our business is a little screwed up right now. I won’t opine upon the reasons, but it certainly wasn’t helped by COVID and the whole studio system turning to streaming. There’s been a lot of things. So we are in a confused state, but the instinct for people to want to gather and watch a story is still there. The attention span is shorter now with subsequent generations, although not as short as Quibi thought it was. ( ) So these reasons are why we all root for everyone’s movies. We need people to think, “It’s Friday night, and we’re going to go to the movies.” We want that habit to come back. So we’re rooting for all good filmmakers to be able to have a chance to make good movies and for distributors to have a chance at people seeing them in the theater. A movie like is so much more appreciated on a big screen. is now playing in movie theaters. Follow along with all of THR Newsletters Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day More from The Hollywood Reporter
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Christmas Day is one of the most violent days of the year and most common for breaches of family violence intervention orders in Victoria, new police data shows. “While Christmas is a time to get together and celebrate, we know it’s not always the case for some families, as perpetrators use the time together to control or harm family members,” Family Violence Command Assistant Commissioner Lauren Callaway said. Victoria Police figures show family violence incidents spike about 33 per cent on Christmas Day. On December 25 last year, police recorded 91 order breach offences and 79 assaults. For the month of December 2023, police logged 8668 family violence incidents across the state. “Whether it’s perpetrators breaching orders by either attending the victim’s home or using technology to make contact or committing assault – the behaviour is unacceptable and will not be tolerated,” Ms Callaway said. “This festive season we will also continue to conduct proactive patrols and checks to let perpetrators know they won’t get away with it.” Organisations such as Safe Steps can be called or emailed 24/7. It runs an online direct message service from 9am to midnight. No to Violence runs a men’s referral service. “If you are concerned that your behaviour is putting the safety of family members at risk there are services to call who can help you to change,” Ms Callaway said. “Maybe making that call is the best gift you can give your family this Christmas.” GET HELP Safe Steps • 1800 015 188 • safesteps@safesteps.org.au • Web chat available on weekdays from 9am – midnight, at safesteps.org.au/chat Men’s referral service • Operated by No to Violence • 1300 766 491A youth support group, the Ondo State Youth Network (OSYN) has called on political parties participating in the forthcoming local government election in the state to field young persons as candidates for local council chairmen. The youths who vowed to mobilise support for young persons that emerged candidates of political parties ahead of the January 18th local government election in Ondo State, said its time to raise young politicians for future development of the state. According to the youth, the local government elections should be an opportunity to ensure youth representation at critical grassroots levels of governance. The Spokesman of the group, Christopher Olusa, in a press statement, urged all political parties to recognize and nominate young individuals of character, competence, and integrity to contest in the forthcoming local government elections. Olusa said the body was prepared to support and campaign for youths who step forward to re He congratulated Governor Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, on his victory in the November 16th gubernatorial election, said the victory was a testament to the resilience and active participation of the youth in Ondo State. The statement encouraged members of the group to declare interest in critical leadership positions. Olusa said “We remain steadfast in our advocacy for a youthful commissioner to represent the aspirations and needs of young people in the state. “Our call for the establishment of a youth Commission, led by a young person, is not just a request but a necessity to ensure the active participation of youths in decision-making processes. “The OSYN remains the foremost youth organization in Ondo State, dedicated to championing the rights, opportunities, and advancement of young people. “We stand for accountability, transparency, and youth-driven leadership in governance at all levels. “We also appeal to Governor Aiyedatiwa to honor his commitment to youth inclusion by ensuring that political appointments and electoral nominations reflect the vibrancy and capacity of the youth. “We have demonstrated our ability to mobilize, organize, and contribute significantly to the socio-political growth of Ondo State, and we deserve a seat at the table. “As Ondo State prepares for the Local Government Elections, we urge all young people to step forward, take charge, and redefine leadership in our communities. “OSYN is ready to support and amplify the voices of youth candidates who embody the values of integrity, service, and progress.” NIGERIAN TRIBUNE Get real-time news updates from Tribune Online! Follow us on WhatsApp for breaking news, exclusive stories and interviews, and much more. Join our WhatsApp Channel now
Sunday, December 29, 2024 As the world moves toward a more inclusive and diverse future, the travel industry is beginning to address the unique needs of neurodivergent travelers. These individuals, who process and experience the world differently, have often faced significant challenges while navigating traditional travel environments. In 2025, the demand for neuroinclusive navigation is reshaping the way we think about travel, thanks to groundbreaking technological advancements and increased advocacy for inclusivity. The numbers tell a compelling story: nearly half (49%) of neurodivergent individuals report negative travel experiences due to their neurodivergence, and 50% feel their travel options are limited. These statistics underscore the pressing need for change. For many neurodivergent travelers, traditional travel environments are filled with sensory overload, lack of accessibility, and a lack of understanding from service providers. “Travel should be an enriching experience for everyone, yet for neurodivergent individuals, it can often feel like a daunting challenge,” says Dr. Emily Carter, a cognitive neuroscientist specializing in accessibility. “By addressing these challenges with thoughtful design and technology, we can create a travel industry that truly caters to everyone’s needs.” The call for technology to play a more significant role in neuroinclusive travel has been heard loud and clear. Two-thirds (66%) of neurodivergent travelers express enthusiasm for AI tools that provide up-to-date travel information, alert them to delays, and suggest quieter, less busy spaces in airports and hotels. These tools not only enhance convenience but also significantly reduce anxiety associated with the unpredictability of travel. AI-powered applications are emerging as indispensable tools for neurodivergent travelers. Imagine an app that: These features can make travel planning less stressful and more tailored to unique needs. Virtual reality (VR) technology is another game-changer. VR allows travelers to explore their destinations and accommodations before they arrive, helping them mentally prepare for unfamiliar environments. This capability is particularly beneficial for individuals with heightened anxiety or sensory sensitivities. Sensory overload is a common challenge for neurodivergent travelers. Bright lights, loud noises, and crowded spaces can quickly become overwhelming. Addressing these issues, sensory rooms are becoming a sought-after feature in airports, hotels, and other travel hubs. An impressive 68% of neurodivergent individuals express a desire for such spaces, where they can decompress and recharge. Key Features of Sensory Rooms Include: Hotels are also stepping up by offering quieter rooms with “block out noise” options, a feature favored by 74% of neurodivergent travelers. These innovations not only enhance comfort but also demonstrate a commitment to inclusivity. A significant step forward in 2025 is the push for industry-wide initiatives that allow travelers to share their needs and preferences seamlessly. Imagine booking a flight or hotel and having your preferences—such as sensory sensitivities or a need for quiet spaces—automatically communicated to service providers. This seamless connection between travelers, platforms, and operators can transform the travel experience for neurodivergent individuals. The demand for change is undeniable: 69% of neurodivergent travelers advocate for a standardized program across the travel industry that prioritizes inclusivity. Such a program would include: “Creating an inclusive travel industry requires collective effort,” says Maria Lopez, CEO of Inclusive Journeys. “By listening to neurodivergent voices and implementing their suggestions, we can set a new standard for accessibility and inclusion.” As we look ahead to 2025, the travel industry stands at a pivotal moment. The integration of innovative technologies, sensory-friendly designs, and seamless preference-sharing systems marks the beginning of a new era of neuroinclusive navigation. By addressing the unique needs of neurodivergent travelers, we not only create a more inclusive industry but also enrich the travel experience for everyone. In the words of Dr. Carter, “Inclusion is not a privilege; it is a right. The future of travel lies in embracing diversity and ensuring that every journey is as unique as the traveler embarking on it.”
Mr Biden told African leaders the resource-rich continent of more than 1.4 billion people had been “left behind for much too long”. “But not anymore,” Mr Biden added. “Africa is the future.” Mr Biden used the third and final day of a visit to Angola – his long-awaited, first trip to sub-Saharan Africa as president – to travel to the coastal city of Lobito and tour an Atlantic port terminal that’s part of the Lobito Corridor railway redevelopment. Mr Biden described it as the largest US investment in a train project outside America. The US and allies are investing heavily in the project that will refurbish nearly 1,200 miles of train lines connecting to the mineral-rich areas of Congo and Zambia in central Africa. The corridor, which likely will take years to complete, gives the US better access to cobalt, copper and other critical minerals in Congo and Zambia that are used in batteries for electric vehicles, electronic devices and clean energy technologies that Mr Biden said would power the future. China is dominant in mining in Congo and Zambia. The US investment has strategic implications for US-China economic competition, which went up a notch this week as they traded blows over access to key materials and technologies. The African leaders who met with Mr Biden on Wednesday said the railway corridor offered their countries a much faster route for minerals and goods – and a convenient outlet to Western markets. “This is a project that is full of hope for our countries and our region,” said Congo President Felix Tshisekedi, whose country has more than 70% of the word’s cobalt. “This is not just a logistical project. It is a driving force for economic and social transformation for millions of our people.” The leaders said the corridor should spur private-sector investment and improve a myriad of related areas like roads, communication networks, agriculture and clean energy technologies. For the African countries, it could create a wave of new jobs for a burgeoning young population. Cargo that once took 45 days to get to the US – usually involving trucks via South Africa – would now take around 45 hours, Mr Biden said. He predicted the project could transform the region from a food importer to exporter. It’s “something that if done right will outlast all of us and keep delivering for our people for generations to come,” he said. The announcement of an additional $600 million took the U.S.’s investment in the Lobito Corridor to 4.0 billion dollars (£3.15 billion).
Clay's 15 help Morehead State take down Alice Lloyd 94-63