Gladiator II Fact or Fiction: Did the Colosseum Actually Get Filled With Water and Sharks?
Paramount Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection
Ridley Scott's Gladiator II is packed with unforgettable action sequences—from Paul Mescal facing off against a charging rhino to an intense battle involving CGI baboons. However, one particular scene that will surely leave audiences with questions is the Colosseum being flooded with water and filled with sharks. In this sequence, gladiators enter the arena on a boat to stage a mock sea battle, much to the delight of the sadistic emperors Geta (Joseph Quinn) and Caracalla (Fred Hechinger).
The question is: Did the Colosseum ever actually get flooded with water and sharks? Given Scott's notorious penchant for historical liberties—like depicting a character reading a newspaper 1,200 years before the printing press—it's a fair question to ask. While Scott's Napoleon faced criticism from French historians for its inaccuracies, this Gladiator II scene is surprisingly closer to historical reality.
In ancient Rome, a form of theater called "naumachia" involved staging sea battles as a form of public spectacle. These battles were fought either in special basins or in flooded amphitheaters, including the Colosseum. Convicts and prisoners of war would often fight until one side emerged victorious, providing an extravagant and brutal form of entertainment for the Roman public.
Paramount Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection
The first recorded naumachia dates back to 46 B.C., staged by Julius Caesar himself. Such battles were later staged in the Colosseum, notably by Emperor Domitian in 85 AD. Gladiator II raises the stakes by adding sharks to the equation—a detail that, while thrilling, is almost certainly a work of fiction.
According to Chris Epplett, a professor specializing in Greek and Roman history at the University of Lethbridge, there is no evidence that sharks were ever used in the Colosseum. However, there was a period during which the Colosseum could be flooded before a full basement was constructed. During this time—which Epplett estimates was around 10 to 20 years—the arena could indeed have hosted exhibitions with marine animals, but sharks are unlikely.
Speaking with Variety at the premiere of Alien: Romulus, Scott quipped about the shark scene, saying, "That's easy. Someone said, 'How do you get sharks in the Colosseum?' I said, 'You can build the Colosseum—how stupid are you?' I mean, you catch a few sharks and lob them in. They could do that."
Ultimately, Gladiator II gives audiences a thrilling interpretation of historical naumachia while taking creative liberties to enhance its dramatic spectacle. The film, now playing in theaters nationwide from Paramount Pictures, invites viewers to immerse themselves in the bloody and exaggerated world of ancient Rome.
Ridley Scott's Gladiator II blends historical authenticity with bold, imaginative flourishes to deliver a compelling vision of ancient Roman spectacle. While the idea of sharks in the Colosseum may be fantastical, the concept of flooding the arena for mock sea battles is based on genuine Roman practices, reflecting the Romans' boundless appetite for entertainment.
The film serves as a reminder of the lavish extremes of Roman public spectacles, even if some details are exaggerated for dramatic effect. Experience Ridley Scott's ambitious recreation of Roman entertainment, now in theaters—a cinematic journey that both reflects and reshapes history.
