Paramount executives are not entertained.

The Hollywood Reporter reported on Friday that production on the long-gestating sequel to director Ridley Scott’s Academy Award-winning Gladiator (2000) has seen a few unexpected hiccups in its budget. Originally budgeted at $165 million, that number has skyrocketed towards the neighborhood of $310 million.

“It’s a runaway,” one anonymous source told THR. “It’s not being managed.”

Around $10 million of this increase is tied to the SAG-AFTRA strike, which caused a production shutdown from July 14 through November 9, 2023. These shutdowns reportedly cost $600,000 weekly until Scott resumed filming in December.

Insiders at Paramount deny the reported $300 million plus figure, instead insisting the 49-day shoot never passed a budget of $250 million.

The sequel’s budget has not been its only production complication. In June, an accident on set during a stunt performance sent four crewmembers to the hospital with burn injuries that were non-life-threatening. The following month, PETA came knocking on Scott’s door with claims from on-set whistleblowers of abuse of live animals during filming. These claims have since been denied, with sources on set insisting that the Humane Society was on-site at all times during production.

The film, set to hit theaters in November of 2024, is a hotly anticipated tentpole nonetheless. According to Deadline, studio executives were previously “blown away” by early footage of the film, which has now entered post-production. The sequel stars Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, and Fred Hechinger.

Update Courtesy of Evan Miller

Feature Image Courtesy of Looper