Weeks before the release of Gladiator II , Ridley Scott has suggested that he wants to make his Roman epic into a trilogy. Scott directed the original Gladiator in 2000, and has returned for the new sequel starring Paul Mescal and Denzel Washington . It remains to be seen whether this long-awaited follow-up will prove a hit with audiences.
Nonetheless, Scott has said that he has already “lit the fuse” for a third entry. “I’m already toying with the idea of Gladiator 3 ,” the Blade Runner filmmaker said in an interview with French magazine Premiere . “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.
” The original Gladiator starred Russell Crowe as Maximus, a Roman general turned slave on an epic mission of revenge. Because Maximus was slain at the end of the first film by his uncle Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix), Crowe is not returning for the sequel. Earlier this year, Crowe dispelled rumours that his character was set to appear in a flashback, and admitted that he was “slightly uncomfortable with the fact they’re making another” Gladiator movie.
“Because, of course, I’m dead and I have no say in what gets done,” he said. “A couple of the things I’ve heard [about the plot of the sequel], I’m like, ‘.