Russell Crowe Addresses Ridley Scott's GLADIATOR 2 and Shares What He Knows
I think we all knew that Russell Crowe would not be returning to play Maximus in Ridley Scott's Gladiator 2 for obvious reasons. However, there was a point several years ago when the filmmaker shared an idea of how he would bring Maximus back, but that’s clearly not the direction this film is going, and Crowe has confirmed that he’s not a part of it.
The actor did meet with Scott, though, to talk about the sequel, and in a recent interview with the Fitzy & Wippa Podcast, he shared what he knows. It’s pretty much what the rest of us know! He said:
"Yeah we've had dinner and talked about it and all that stuff. So I know roughly how he's shaping the story. But yeah, if you remember, there was a young kid who wanted to beat the Gladiator, which leads to the 'My name is' speech. So that young kid has grown up, and he's now the Emperor. I don't know what else happens at that point, so that's the idea. So it's not a remake. And it's not a direct sequel. It's not like the day after, you know, 30 years later or something."
It was previously revealed that Paul Mescal would be taking on the lead role Lucius, the son of Lucilla (Connie Nielsen), and nephew of Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix), the son of Roman leader Marcus Aurelius, who murdered his father and seized the throne.
Maximus saved Lucius and Lucilla while avenging his own family and Lucius looked up to him and idolized him. Maximus made a strong impression on young Lucius.
Scott will direct the film from a script written by David Scarpa and it will go into production after he makes his Napoleon movie. When previously talking about making a Gladiator sequel, Scott said: "You can't just do another Gladiator-type movie. You’ve got to follow…there’s enough components from the first one to pick up the ball and continue it."
As for how Scott was looking to bring Maximus back at one point, he revealed how he would do that, saying:
"I can bring him back. I know how to bring him back. I use the [body] of a dying warrior as a portal that could bring somebody back."
Scott, Nick Cave and Russell Crowe had all talked about it and written it up, and they knew just how to do it. Bringing him back through a portal in the body of a dying warrior. He went on to say:
"Russell, me and Nick Cave, it was about bringing him back. It was a good idea. It's on the shelf somewhere at Dreamworks... [Russell] said listen. I've got some thoughts, 'What can we do about Gladiator?' I said, 'I can bring you back.' That's how it began. He'd been working with Nick Cave, so then we talked--the three of us-- and out of it evolved a screenplay."
That would have been an interesting direction to take things, but what they’re doing now makes more sense. What do you think?