He Will Have His Vengeance
With a powerhouse performance by Russell Crowe, one of Joaquin Phoenix’s most insidious roles as well as Ridley Scott’s exquisite direction, it’s no wonder that Gladiator managed to rake in the Academy Awards and is still regarded as a true gem of a film. Decades later, it seems that the spirit of Maximus Decimus Meridius still lives on, since the acclaimed director is returning to the coliseum once again by means of a long-anticipated sequel.
According to an article on Empire –
Ridley Scott has been talking about a sequel to Gladiator for a long time now. He was interviewed about the subject back in 2003. According to Deadline, the ever-busy director is finally moving forward with it.
“But Russell Crowe’s character died!” we hear you say, and you would be correct that the new film won’t focus on the Roman commander-turned-gladiator. Instead, as has always been the plan, it’ll track the grown Lucius, son of Lucilla (Connie Nielsen) from the original. Maximus saved him and his mother, and the impact was not lost on the young man.
Quite what that leads to later in life remains to be seen, but Hunger Games script veteran Peter Craig (who has also worked on drafts of the Top Gun sequel) is the choice to work on the new Gladiator instalment.
While many might be in agreement that there’s no need for Gladiator to become a franchise, at least the original architect behind the brutal and bloody classic is taking the reigns for its second iteration. That being said, the last time Ridley Scott revisited one of his beloved cinematic properties, we ended up with the less than successful Alien: Covenant. Let’s hope that history doesn’t repeat itself.
Be sure to check out the video below to see our picks for the Top 10 Ridley Scott Movies.
