Gladiatorwas one of the most successful films of 2000. Few people expected a sequel so late in the game, but the naysayers are wrong, as director Ridley Scott is hard at work on a sequel, with Paul Mescal set to star.
Gladiatortold the story of Maximus Decimus Meridius (Russell Crowe), a Roman legionnaire who finds himself thrown into the gladiatorial arena by the machinations of Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix). Seeking vengeance against Commodus, Maximus eventually achieves success at the cost of his own life. While inthe originalGladiatorending,Maximus lives and goes on with his life, Scott and Crowe felt that Maximus' death would be more poignant and meaningful. Still, that made it difficult for a sequel to be developed.
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PerDeadline, Scott is returning to directGladiator 2,working off a script by David Scarpa. Costume designer Janty Yates and production designer Arthur Max are also set to return. Mescal is in negotiations to star as Lucius, son of Lucilla (Connie Nielsen) and nephew of Commodus. In the original film, Lucius was played by Spencer Treat Clark and made his admiration for Maximus known.
Scott had been saying theGladiator 2script was nearly finishedin 2021, but more news of the project is only materializing now. Rumors had abounded for years that Scott was going to make a sequel to the film. Some of these rumors even stated that Crowe developed a script that would follow Maximus' story in the underworld, where he would encounter the Roman gods and eventually become immortal.
That sequel didn’t get made, and Scott has instead busied himself with makingfilms such asHouse of Gucci.It appears that the idea forGladiator 2never left his mind, and Universal is once again set to produce the film. The original was a co-production between Dreamworks and Universal, but times have changed, and Dreamworks will not be involved in the sequel.
Scott is something of an old-school director. Like other directors in his cohort,Scott has slammed superhero moviesand said he prefers character-driven dramas.Gladiator 2will state that desire; though the first film was a visual marvel, much of its success was thanks to its interpersonal drama and performances.
Gladiatoris available on Amazon Prime Video.
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