Gladiator IIisn’t out yet, but director Ridley Scott may have already confirmed the long-awaited sequel’s biggest change to the Russell Crowe original. Despite being a sequel to2000’sGladiator, most of the original film’s castwill not be appearing inGladiatorII, with the sequel featuring the likes of Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington, and Pedro Pascal instead of Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix.Gladiator IIwill take place decades after the events of the original film, and while some of the gladiatorial fights may be the same, the fate of Paul Mescal’s character will undoubtedly be very different.
It has been 24 years since Ridley Scott’s originalGladiatorwas released, and after years of waiting, the director is finally releasing a sequel in 2024. Audiences will finally get to return to the world ofGladiatorwhenGladiator IIhits theaters, with the film this time exploring the story of a grown-upLucius, Commodus' nephew from the original film. Ahead of the release ofGladiator II, director Ridley Scott has already confirmed that he is working onGladiator III, meaning that the excitingGladiatorsaga will continue on into the future.
Gladiator III’s Development Means That Lucius Can’t Die At The End (Unlike Maximus)
He Could Be The Protagonist Of A 2-Part Saga
From the sounds of it, the wait betweenGladiator IIandGladiator IIIwill be a lot shorter than the wait between the originalGladiatorand its sequel, with Ridley Scott having already started work on the third film. When making the originalGladiator, Ridley Scott and the other creatives obviously didn’t have a sequel in mind, leading to the death of Russell Crowe’s Maximus at the end of the film. Now that Ridley Scott already hasGladiator IIIin mind, the film can bring back the cast of the sequel, meaning that Paul Mescal’s Lucius can’t die.
Which Gladiator Characters Are Based On Real-Life People (& Which Aren’t)
Gladiator has a large cast of characters, with several being based on real figures from ancient Rome and others being entirely fictional creations.
UnlikeGladiator, it seems as ifGladiator IIandGladiator IIIcould be a two-part saga following the characters who will be introduced inGladiator II.Gladiator IIwas able to make Lucius the protagonist due to him being introduced decades ago inGladiator.SinceGladiatorIIIwill presumably come out sooner, there isn’t a way to naturally age a character up without a major time jump. It would be strange to make a third film so soon afterGladiator IIonly to introduce an entirely new cast of characters, meaning that keeping Lucius alive is the more likely option.
Ridley Scott’s Gladiator III Confirmation Hints That Lucius Could Become A Leader In Rome In Gladiator II
Paralleling Ridley Scott’s The Godfather Comparisons
When discussingRidley Scott’sGladiator IIIstory, the director made an interesting comparison, highlighting the similarities betweenGladiatorandThe Godfatherseries. When discussing his films, Scott explains that they will parallel the first twoThe Godfathermovies, saying thatGladiator III’s protagonist will be reminiscent of Michael Corleone. Much like Michael Corleone’sThe Godfatherstory,GladiatorIIwill end with a character finding himself in a job that he doesn’t want to do, with the sequel following him as he decides what to do next. Here is Ridley Scott’s full quote:
I’m already toying with the idea of Gladiator 3. No, seriously! I’ve lit the fuse… The ending of Gladiator II is reminiscent of The Godfather, with Michael Corleone finding himself with a job he didn’t want, and wondering, “Now, Father, what do I do? " So the next [film] will be about a man who doesn’t want to be where he is.
While Scott is being intentionally vague here, the most obvious interpretation of this quote is that he is talking about Lucius. The trailers forGladiator IIhave made it clear that Lucius wants to bring Rome down, with him setting his eyes on Pedro Pascal’s character. Based on Scott’sThe Godfathercomparison, it could be that Lucius' conquest of Rome leads to him becoming a powerful Roman political leader, withGladiator IIIexploring Lucius' time in power.
Paul Mescal’s Gladiator III Return Could Set Up An Even More Exciting Gladiator Villain Return
Denzel Washington’s Macrinus Could Return As Well
Gladiator IIandGladiator IIIare truly going to tell a two-part epic about Lucius, thenGladiator IIIcould contain an exciting returning villain. Denzel Washington’s role inGladiator IIhas been a bit unclear based on the trailers.While he seems to have villainous tendencies, he is clearly on Lucius' side, with the duo teaming up to take down Rome and Pedro Pascal’s character. However, this would make sense ifGladiator IIis merely setting him up to be the main antagonist ofGladiator III, making him Lucius' overarching antagonist.
Gladiator’s 10 Most Rewatchable Scenes
Gladiator is one of the most iconic films of all time, partly due to the sheer amount of rewatchable scenes that Ridley Scott’s epic includes.
Based on this theory,Gladiator IIwill follow Denzel Washington’s character as he operates in the shadows, manipulating Lucius and pulling the strings in Rome. Then, once Lucius becomes a powerful Roman figure at the end ofGladiator II, Denzel Washington’s Macrinus charactercould become a full-blown villain. Having two movies to develop the relationship between Lucius and Macrinus is incredibly exciting, making the story ofGladiator IIandGladiator IIIso much more epic.
Gladiator II
Cast
Gladiator 2 is the follow-up to Ridley Scott’s award-winning film Gladiator from 2000. Scott returns to direct the sequel, with Paul Mescal staring as Lucius, alongside Denzel Washington and Joseph Quinn as the villain Emperor Geta. Gladiator 2 had been stuck in development hell for years before a script written by David Scarpa finally moved forward.
