Gladiator II is yet to be released, and director Ridley Scott is already “toying with the idea” of a third sequel to the hit franchise. Scott, who also helmed the 2000s Oscar-winning film Gladiator, spoke to France’s Premiere magazine about his plans for the franchise’s future. The Academy Award-winning filmmaker confirmed that he’s already developing Gladiator 3. “With that, I’m already toying with the idea of Gladiator 3. No, seriously! I’ve lit the fuse,” he said.
He drew a clever parallel between the upcoming sequel, which centers around Paul Mescal’s Lucius, and another highly acclaimed and award-winning classic, The Godfather. Just like Michael Corleone, Lucius will also find himself trapped in a job he doesn’t want. “So the next [film] will be about a man who doesn’t want to be where he is,” Scott explained.
The original film revolved around Russell Crowe’s Maximus, who was demoted from being the Emperor’s preferred general to fighting as a Gladiator by the evil Commodus, played by Joaquin Phoenix. After a lot of buildup, the protagonist and antagonist participate in a final face-off that ends with both of them perishing.
The sequel picks up years later, with Lucius now living in the northern African region of Numidia, where he was sent by his mother, Lucila, to keep him away from the grasp of the Roman Empire. However, after a manhunt led by Pedro Pascal’s General Marcus Acacius, Lucius is discovered and brought to the same iconic pit where he saw Maximus fight as a kid.
“After his home is conquered by the tyrannical emperors who now lead Rome, Lucius is forced to enter the Colosseum and must look to his past to find strength to return the glory of Rome to its people,” says the official synopsis. The second part of the franchise is expected to be a blockbuster, and if that becomes reality, fans will have another film to look forward to!
Gladiator II is releasing in theaters worldwide on November 15.
