‘Gladiator’ Sequel in Development From Ridley Scott
2000’s Academy Award-winning box office hit Gladiator is somehow getting a sequel from original director Ridley Scott and Top Gun: Maverick writer Peter Craig. Which begs the question: are we not entertained?
Deadline reports that Paramount is set to make the unlikely sequel happen, with Universal having the option to co-finance the project should they choose. The new movie is set to follow not Maximus, the titular hero who helped free Rome from the tyrant Commodus, but Lucius, the nephew of Commodus. Lucius is inspired by Maximus, who personally rescued him, and that’s apparently where the next story is going to begin, possibly with Lucius having a similar story arc to his idol. It’s not known if Lucius will be portrayed by his original actor, Spencer Treat Clark, at this time; the actor is currently set to revisit his Unbreakable role with next year’s Glass.
Gladiator is a story with a clear beginning, middle, and end, and no opening for a sequel readily apparent by the nature of the story. Gladiator, of course, being about a man who successfully avenges his family, freeing his people from a despot that stole his rightful place on the throne in the process, in a narrative loosely based on history. Musician and writer Nick Cave had a strange idea for a story, which had Maximus revived by the Roman Gods to defend early Christians from persecution, which would somehow culminate in a scene where an immortal Maximus would have to fight in all of the major wars in history, and the final scene would ultimately end with Maximus working in the Pentagon in the present day. You can read about that wild idea in detail here. But it seems like they’re not going to go with such a mythology-heavy concept in favor of a much more grounded take.
The untitled Gladiator sequel does not have a release date.
Grant Davis is a freelance writer who has covered entertainment news for more than seven years. His articles have frequently appeared in Star Wars News Net as well as as other entertainment-related websites. As someone who grew up on Star Wars and comic book movies, he’s completely thrilled with the current era of genre entertainment.
