Gladiator 2 film cast rushed to hospital after horror fireball explodes on set

BLOCKBUSTER Gladiator 2 has been plunged into chaos after a fireball engulfed the set when a big-budget special effects scene went wrong.

Six crew members were raced to hospital after being caught in the blaze — while stars including Paul Mescal and Denzel ­Washington watched in horror.

Director Ridley Scott is currently shooting the sequel in the Sahara desert in Morocco.

An investigation is now underway to determine the cause of the huge explosion — with onlookers speculating that a gas pipe on the set may have ruptured.

A source said yesterday: “It was terrifying — a huge ball of fire flew up and caught several crew members in its path.

“In years of filming I’ve never seen an accident so scary.

“Six production staff had to be rushed to hospital for treatment.

“Hopefully everyone will be OK, but it was a serious accident.

“Everyone involved, from the lowliest runners to the star names, has been shaken up by this.”

Filming for the highly anticipated sequel has only just begun in the city of Ouarzazate, where temperatures regularly top 35C (95F).

Pictures of the set first surfaced on social media earlier this week.

Russell Crowe, who won an Oscar for his portrayal of doomed Roman general Maximus Decimus ­Meridius in the original — movie released in 2000 — will not appear in the sequel.

The new film will however follow his descendants, with British star Paul Mescal taking on the lead role of Lucius, the young Roman aristocrat who appears alongside Meridius in the first film.

Other actors joining the cast include Denzel Washington and Pedro Pascal.

Gladiator 2 is scheduled to be released in cinemas late next year.