Ridley Scott Already Has Plans for Gladiator 3

Ridley Scott took over 25 years to bring his sequel to Gladiator to the big screen, but it looks like he won’t be waiting that long to return to the Coliseum. In an interview with Première, Scott revealed that he has already been thinking about the plot of Gladiator 3, but the chances of that happening will most likely depend on how Gladiator II performs this November.

Gladiator II follows up the story of Russell Crowe’s Maximus with the struggles of his son, Lucius, who is caught up in more power plays between emperors, slaves, and gladiators within the majestic landscape of ancient Rome. Now it looks like Scott has already been thinking about how the movie sets up another sequel that he has already been “toying with.” He explained:

“With that, I’m already toying with the idea of ​​Gladiator 3 . No, seriously! I’ve lit the fuse… The ending of Gladiator II is reminiscent of The Godfather , with Michael Corleone finding himself with a job he didn’t want, and wondering, ‘ Now, Father, what do I do? ‘ So the next [film] will be about a man who doesn’t want to be where he is.”

It seems that Scott has been so taken with the idea that he has already discussed it with Gladiator II star Paul Mescal, who plays Lucius in the movie. In a separate interview, Mescal confirmed that the director had shared his idea about where the franchise could go next. He said:

“Yes, Ridley spoke to me about it, but only yesterday! So I’m waiting to see what’s going to happen, but I’m interested, of course. But we can’t rush anything: the story has to hold together.”

Gladiator II is a Historical Epic…Not an Epic Fantasy

Scott has waited a long time to return to the bloody and dangerous world of the Roman Empire, and he wanted everything to be perfect about the movie. This also includes how he wants people to view the film as a historical movie it is rather than something a little more fantastical. While discussing the film with Total Film, Scott reiterated that, despite what some people think, Gladiator II is grounded in real history. He said:

It is still difficult to work out exactly where Gladiator II will land when it arrives in cinemas. The film doesn’t come with a small budget to be recouped, and Scott will be hoping that it fares better than his last release, Napoleon, which disappointed at the box office only to find success on Apple TV later. The legacy of Gladiator, along with some heavyweight star power such as Denzel Washington in the mix, should be enough to draw audiences into theaters. However, there are several other big movies also releasing around the same time, most notably the adaptation of Broadway smash Wicked, meaning that there are more than on-screen battles to be fought.