Ridley Scott sold the set of his 2005 movie for $10, only to pay $1 million to rent the set again fifteen years later. Scott has a dynamic directing career that began with the 1977 film The Duellists. His next movie, Alien, proved to be a breakout hit that launched a long-running franchise and remains one of Ridley Scott’s best movies. Scott’s next science-fiction film, Blade Runner, was critically divisive when it was released in 1982 and underperformed at the box office, but it is now considered to be a highly influential staple of the science-fiction genre.
Scott has made a lasting impact on other genres as well. His 1991 crime drama, Thelma and Louise, is still widely lauded as a powerful feminist film. A decade later, Scott’s Black Hawk Down showcased the true horrors of war based on real events from the Battle of Mogadishu in 1993. Scott has also helmed numerous movies that are historical epics, from the award-winning Gladiator and the recently released Gladiator II to his 2005 film Kingdom of Heaven.
Ridley Scott Wanted To Re-Acquire Kingdom Of Heaven’s Set For Gladiator II

He Wanted To Use The Set For Gladiator II’s Numidia Sequence

Scott sold Kingdom of Heaven’s set for $10. The Orlando Bloom-led movie is set during the Crusades and features an impressive cast that also includes Eva Green, David Thewlis, Edward Norton, Kevin McKidd, Jeremy Irons, Brendan Gleeson, and Liam Neeson. Bloom plays Balian, a crusader fighting to protect the Kingdom of Jerusalem from Sultan Saladin (Ghassan Massoud) and his army. Kingdom of Heaven was made on a budget of $130,000 million and grossed $218.1 million worldwide (via Box Office Mojo).

Kingdom of Heaven’s cast also featured Game of Thrones’ Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as a village sheriff.

While speaking during an Academy-Award-nominated directors’ roundtable with The Hollywood Reporter, Scott revealed that when he learned that taking down Kingdom of Heaven’s set in Ouarzazate, Morocco would cost him $300,000, he sold it to the Ouarzazates for $10, as long as they were willing to be responsible for the insurance. When Scott tried to rent the set fifteen years later for Gladiator 2, it now cost $1 million, even though it had originally been his set. Check out Scott’s comments below:

I did a big film called Kingdom of Heaven years ago in Ouarzazate, Morocco. And to take it down would’ve cost me $300,000. So I said to the Ouarzazates, “Do you want to buy it? I can sell it to you for $10, but you have to take on all the responsibility of insurance.” So I sold it for $10. Fifteen years later, I wanted to rent it back to do the Numidian sequence [in Gladiator II]. I had to pay $1 million to rent my own set.

The Kingdom Of Heaven Set Is Used Well In Gladiator II’s Story

From a creative standpoint, Scott renting his Kingdom of Heaven set worked well. Gladiator 2’s opening Numidia sequence is among the best parts of the long-awaited sequel. Not only does it contain riveting action, but it establishes Paul Mescal’s Lucius Verus and the place that has become his home since since Gladiator’s ending. As discussed between the directors during the roundtable, it is ideal and more environmentally sustainable to reuse sets when possible. Due to inflation and other factors, reusing the Kingdom of Heaven set was costly for Ridley Scott, but it proved to be a worthwhile rental.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter, Box Office Mojo

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Kingdom of Heaven is a historical epic directed by Ridley Scott. Set during the Crusades of the 12th century, the film stars Orlando Bloom as Balian, a blacksmith who becomes a knight and defender of Jerusalem. The cast includes Eva Green, Jeremy Irons, and Liam Neeson. The movie explores themes of honor, faith, and conflict in a turbulent period of history.

Release Date

May 6, 2005

Runtime

144 Minutes

Cast

Martin Hancock
, Michael Sheen
, Nathalie Cox
, Eriq Ebouaney
, Jouko Ahola
, David Thewlis

Writers

William Monahan