Ridley Scott apparently walked into a boardroom meeting at Paramount, scribbled “Gladiator$$$” on a white board, and promptly dropped the mic on his way out again. Okay, so that’s probably not how it actually went down. But if anyone aside from James Cameron in the movie business had the power to pull that move off, it’d be Sir Ridley.
We’re still anxiously awaiting the release of “Gladiator II,” the long-awaited sequel to the 2000 historical epic starring Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix, but some of us clearly can’t help but look ahead even further down the line. For Scott, the possibility of a third “Gladiator” movie might as well be a sure thing already. In an interview with French film magazine Première (which we subsequently ran through Google translate), the esteemed filmmaker revealed that he’s not content stopping with just one swords-and-sandals movie in this unexpected franchise. No stranger to ambitious-sounding ideas that may or may not ever come to fruition (we’re still waiting on that third “Alien” prequel movie starring Michael Fassbender), Scott went so far as to compare this series to “The Godfather,” of all things, and remarked that a third “Gladiator” could very well be in the offing. As 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 [‘Gladiator’ film] will be about a man who doesn’t want to be where he is.”
Is this all just a pipe dream, or could it actually happen? Well, “Gladiator II” star Paul Mescal also spoke with the French outlet and confirmed that the director has already spoken to him about the idea. Read on for more details!
Gladiator III could happen with Paul Mescal returning as the lead
From Ridley Scott’s lips to all of our ears. “Gladiator II” might not even be in theaters yet, but the biggest and most important members of the cast and crew are apparently game for another go-around in this generational saga. Although Russell Crowe’s General-turned-gladiator Maximus sadly plays no part in this sequel (you know, being dead and all), his legacy continues through the grown-up version of Lucilla’s (Connie Nielsen) son, Lucius. Portrayed by rapidly-rising star Paul Mescal, the character serves as our new lead in the upcoming sequel and is set to fill some seriously huge shoes (er, sandals) this time around. The actor, who pretty much transformed his entire physique to get ready to play this part, seems to be undaunted by that challenge — if his comments about possibly reprising his role for a third film are anything to go by, that is.
In another interview with Première, Mescal confirmed that this is more than just idle talk:
“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.”
The story is of paramount importance, of course, but so are the box office prospects of “Gladiator II.” Scott has turned in his fair share of financial bombs before (including recently with “Napoleon,” despite the recent release of the director’s cut), so any future plans likely hinge on whether this highly-anticipated sequel can live up to expectations. We’ll find out when “Gladiator II” hits theaters on November 22, 2024.