Ridley Scott Discusses Gladiator II Development

Ridley Scott recently shared that the long-awaited sequel, Gladiator II, nearly took the form of a musical featuring Russell Crowe's character, Maximus, returning to Earth to confront Jesus Christ. The ambitious concept, developed with musician Nick Cave, involved time travel and the notion that Maximus was sent by the gods to reclaim his glory. However, Scott ultimately deemed the idea 'bloody silly' and felt it strayed too far from the original film's essence. Despite this, he retained elements of the time portal concept for future projects. The sequel, which stars Paul Mescal as Lucius, premiered in the UK on November 15 and will debut in the U.S. on November 22, receiving mixed but generally favorable reviews. Critics noted that while the sequel captures the spirit of the original, it also revisits some convoluted ideas that may disappoint fans of the first film.