Over the past few years, Morocco has become the preferred destination for international film producers and directors, who come to shoot their works due to the diversity and richness of its natural and historical assets, which vary from one city to another. This continues as a group of international filmmakers prepare to shoot their new works in different regions of the Kingdom.
American media reports revealed that the city of Ouarzazate is preparing to host the filming of a massive historical film produced by "Universal Pictures", as part of a cinematic project dealing with the character of the Egyptian Queen "Cleopatra". Preparations for the project began four years ago before the technical crew recently arrived in Morocco to inspect filming locations and sets.
The same sources highlighted that the American production company has begun final preparations for the start of filming in southern Morocco, noting that Israeli actress Gal Gadot is scheduled to play the role of the Egyptian Queen "Cleopatra".
This cinematic project has seen a noticeable delay in filming due to several factors, including the resignation of director Patty Jenkins in 2021 due to scheduling conflicts with her other projects, which led the company to choose director Kari Skogland to take on the task. The transition from "Paramount Pictures" to "Universal Pictures" in 2022 also played a role in delaying the start of filming.
It is noteworthy that the last international cinematic work filmed in Ouarzazate was the second part of the famous film "Gladiator", directed by Ridley Scott, with a budget of approximately 200 million dollars, a work that was released in international theaters over the past few months.
In a previous statement to Hespress, Abdellatif Bagdi, a municipal councilor in Ouarzazate, revealed that the filming of "Gladiator" was able to save a group of young people from unemployment by providing them with job opportunities in light of the significant migration that has affected the southeast in recent years due to living conditions and the closure of a number of hotels and cafes as a result of the crisis, adding that "the production company overseeing Gladiator in Morocco organized things well with international standards, and was at the disposal of the workforce to solve their problems, amidst security reinforcements, and contributed to the region's economy".
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