Russell Crowe’s one demand for Prizefighter film: shoot it in Malta

Matt Hookings, the writer, producer and lead actor in boxing drama Prizefighter tells Giulia Magri how he brought Russell Crowe back to Malta.

Eight months ago, Oscar-winning star Russell Crowe surprised his fans when he invited them to meet him at Fort Ricasoli.

He cycled into the fort, which once played host to the film Gladiator, and happily posed for photos at the set of the blockbuster that won him the Best Actor Oscar in 2000.

At the time, he was filming, Prizefighter: The Life of Jem Belcher, a biopic about the eponymous 19th-century boxer.