‘Gladiator 2’: Ridley Scott would be putting the batteries with the sequel, which is already looking for its protagonists

There is more and more information about the sequel to ‘Gladiator’, although many unknowns remain. We know that Ridley Scott would be behind the cameras again in “Gladiator 2”, which would have a script by Peter Craig, author of “Top Gun: Maverick” and “The Batman”. Now it appears that the project is moving forward, according to the report published by Puck News Scott is in the casting process of finding lead actors.

This raises the question that has been raised the most by the continuation rumors: Will Russell Crowe return? The death of his character Máximo at the end of the original, which earned him the Oscar for best actor, would rule out his appearance in the sequel, although there would always be the possibility of reviving him. In 2021 Scott stated that the script was already finished and that they had caught up “recover enough components from the first one to continue with the story”. The makers have confirmed there is a time jump, hence the story it would be located twenty-five years after the original. However, the rest of the storyline is unknown.

Rumors suggest he would follow in the footsteps of Lucius, the son of Lucilla (Connie Nielsen), played in Spencer Treat Clark’s ‘Gladiator’, who according to a source was reportedly being renewed as part of the cast, though it hasn’t been confirmed. In the second installment, the rumors suggest it Lucius would like to find out if Máximo, who saved him from his uncle (Joaquin Phoenix), was actually his father..

The Le360 newspaper assures that Scott has entered into negotiations to shoot scenes on the sets of the Atlas studios, on the outskirts of Ouarzazate, Morocco. Taking into account that the most important part of the cast has not yet been chosen, We cannot know when filming will start or if it will be this year 2023.

The 2000 film was an unheard of success, grossing over $460 million worldwide, making it the second highest-grossing film of that year, right after ‘Mission: Impossible 2’. ‘Gladiator’ has also graced the most prestigious award ceremonies, taking among many other awards the BAFTA, the Golden Globe and the Oscar for best film in 2001, which crowned it a cult film within the historical genre. This would be yet another explanation for the delay in a continuation, as there is no question that the bar is very high. While it’s clear that, if there’s a good time to release a sequel decades after the original premiere, it’s now, factoring in the blockbuster 2022 premieres of ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ and ‘Avatar: The Sense of Water.’

Screenplay by Nick Cave

It’s not the first time there’s talk of a sequel to ‘Gladiator’. At one point, Nick Cave himself wrote a whole script of what it could look like, but the result was so far from the original that it was unfeasible. In his version, Máximo was never able to be reunited with his wife and child, but instead went through purgatory and an eternal resurrection which has brought him to the present day., coming to occupy an office in the Pentagon. As Collider reports, Russell Crowe was very direct with his opinion, telling Cave: “I don’t like it, man”. Scott decided to give him a small chance, but gave up early.