On set of `Gladiators,' toughest foe is heat

Spartacus never got sunblock.

But when in fake Rome, 28,000 extras in director Ridley Scott's"Gladiators" didn't want toga tanlines.

Things turned a little toasty on the set of Scott's $100 millionepic, due out next summer and starring Russell Crowe, JoaquinPhoenix, Richard Harris and Lou Ferrigno. Joust the facts: "At acertain point, we had to pass out sunblock in the stands," saysCrowe. "These people were sitting there in 90-degree heat in metalskirts."

The film is set in A.D. 180 and revolves around the new emperor ofRome (Phoenix) who strips a ruling warrior (Crowe) of his power.

Speaking of power, DreamWorks honcho Steven Spielberg green-litthe …