‘Gladiator 2’ Behind the Scenes Photos With Pedro Pascal and Paul Mescal

“Gladiator II” is one of the most anticipated films of the year, with a whopping $250 million budget — and the cast definitely found time to live it up between those epic battle scenes.

Pedro Pascal and Paul Mescal, among others, were living their best lives on set in Morocco, England, and Malta — where most of the film was shot, including the iconic Colosseum, which was recreated at Fort Ricasoli.

Clearly, it was an intense 49-day shoot, because Pedro and Paul were snapped cooling off in the ocean — talk about a well-deserved splash break!

Meanwhile, on another set, there were bucketloads of extras on a ship deck … filmed smack in the middle of the desert.

There was a lot of sitting, chilling, and soaking in the scenery — and it seems like Pedro and Paul really bonded.