Ridley Scott Talks Original Plan for Gladiator 2 With Russell Crowe Returning

Summary

• Gladiator 2 will focus on Lucius, nephew of Commodus, and Russell Crowe’s physical presence is not necessary for the new story.
• Ridley Scott originally had plans to bring back Maximus through a mysterious portal in the sequel but did not reveal the details to avoid theft.
• The sequel will star Paul Mescal as the adult version of Lucius, who has been living in the wilderness and lost touch with his mother.

Gladiator’s Maximus Decimus Meridius has become one of the most iconic characters of Russell Crowe’s career, so when it was confirmed that Gladiator 2 was in development, many fans wondered how the story would continue without its great hero, who died at the end of the acclaimed movie. Well, Ridley Scott had a crazy idea to include him in his original plans for the sequel. The film, released in 2000, follows the story of Maximus, the most loyal soldier of Emperor Marcus Aurelius and leader of his troops. But his success provokes envy in Commodus, the emperor’s son, who, after the death of his father, orders the murder of Maximus and his family. However, the protagonist does not die and ends up becoming an anonymous gladiator who conquers audiences with his fighting skills until he takes revenge against Commodus, before joining his family in the afterlife.

The upcoming sequel will focus on Lucius, nephew of Commodus, who deeply admired Maximus as a gladiator, meaning Crowe’s physical presence is not necessary for this new story. However, during an interview with the ReelBlend podcast, the director revealed that his original plans for Gladiator 2 included the return of Maximus. Who would have been resurrected using a mysterious portal to the real world…

“Nick Cave wrote the script, but I had the idea. I knew how to bring him back through a portal, back to the real world. I’m not going tell you what it is, because somebody will steal it… I talked to Nick every other day for about a month as he was writing it. And so I said, ‘We can bring him back this way.’ And what I want to do is start the film in Styx, on the edge of the ocean, and you see him, this warrior, wandering in armor. Then, it’s Maximus wandering, looking for where he’s going to go next. That’s Scene One.”

Related: Ridley Scott Teases Denzel Washington’s ‘Rich Guy with a Grudge’ Role in Gladiator 2

Gladiator 2 Finds Lucius in a Very Unexpected Place

Gladiator

Director Ridley Scott

Cast Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Oliver Reed, Richard Harris, Derek Jacobi

Main Genre Action

Writers David Franzoni, John Logan, William Nicholson

Gladiator 2 will star Paul Mescal, who will take the place of Spencer Treat Clark as the adult version of Lucius. Set years after the events of the first film, the sequel will find the protagonist in a very different environment from the one where he spent the first years of his life, dealing with important conflicts and fighting to survive.

Speaking recently with Rotten Tomatoes, Scott shared more details about Mescal’s character and the plot:

“Paul [Mescal] is playing Lucius… That’s someone who’s 12, and this is about 12, 15 years later. He’s been out in the wilderness having lost touch with his mother. Mother lost touch with him, he doesn’t know where he is. She thinks he might be dead.”

After a hiatus caused by the actors’ strike, the Gladiator 2 team will return to set next month, so the movie can meet its release date, set for November 22, 2024. The film also stars Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger, Derek Jacobi and Connie Nielsen, with the latter two reprising their roles from the original film.

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