King Mohammed receives director Ridley Scott and Producer Branko Lustig

Morocco's King Mohammed VI received this Monday afternoon at the royal palace of Rabat director Ridley Scott and producer Branko Lustig.

Scott who already shot in Morocco two acclaimed movies, Gladiator in 1999 and Black Hawk Down in 2002 informed the sovereign of his project to shoot in Essaouira (southwestern Morocco) and Ouarzazate (southern Morocco) his new movie on the life of Salah Eddine Al Ayoubi.

The movie, to be produced by the 20th Century Fox, will be one of the biggest cinema productions of the beginning of this century. Spain will be another location for the movie.

The sovereign voiced Morocco's will to extend all the needed support to the project, underscoring the economic and social impact that the motion picture industry had on several southern Moroccan regions.

Scott described the meeting as "decisive" in the ongoing process for a final decision regarding the choice of Morocco as a location for the movie.