Ridley Scott is preparing to go back to ancient Rome, as the filmmaker says a script for Gladiator 2 is being “written now.”
Speaking with (fittingly enough) EMPIRE, Scott confirmed that he has eyes to make the sequel to the 2000 classic Gladiator after he finishes his next project, KitBag. That film happens to star Gladiator villain Joaquin Phoenix, who’s set to play Napoléon Bonaparte alongside Jodie Comer (Scott’s upcoming The Last Duel) as the emperor’s wife, Joséphine.
“I’m already having [the next] Gladiator written now,” Scott said. “So when I’ve done Napoleon, Gladiator will be ready to go.”
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This isn’t the first time Scott has made mention of a Gladiator 2. Back in 2018, he was in talks with screenwriter Peter Craig (The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Top Gun: Maverick) about penning the sequel. The plot was said to focus on Lucius, the nephew of Phoenix’s Commodus whom Russel Crowe’s Maximus saves in the original movie. Since both Phoenix and Crowe’s characters died in that film (two-decade old spoiler alert…), neither star is expected to return.
It’s not known if Craig is still working on the script, or when the movie will actually see release. KitBag is set to enter production in early 2022, and Apple TV+ has already picked up the film.
At 83, Scott is entering one of the most prolific times in his illustrious career. Before we even get to KitBag and Gladiator 2, Scott is delivering two star-studded movies in the next few months: The Last Duel, starring Adam Driver, Matt Damon, and Ben Affleck (the latter two co-writing the script) is out October 15th. Then on November 24th, House of Gucci arrives with a cast including Lady Gaga, Driver, Jared Leto, Jeremy Irons, Salma Hayek, and Al Pacino.
