There are few filmmakers in Hollywood who are as productive as Ridley Scott. As soon as he has finished a project, he immerses himself in his next directorial workThe latest example: Gladiator 2. The hotly anticipated sequel hasn’t even hit theaters yet and Scott is already planning Gladiator 3.
Gladiator 3 based on The Godfather: Ridley Scott reveals
Last week, Scott told French magazine Premiere his Plans for Gladiator 3 revealed, as Variety reports. Although the project has not yet been given the green light by the studio, Scott reveals a very concrete idea of how the story should continue. He also slightly spoils the end of part 2.
Scott says:
I’m already toying with the idea of making Gladiator 3. No, seriously! I’ve lit the fuse. The ending of Gladiator 2 is reminiscent of The Godfather: Michael Corleone finds himself in a job he didn’t want and asks himself: ‘What should I do now, father?’ The next [Film] will be about a man who doesn’t want to be where he is.
The big question now is: Who is the Michael Corleone of the Gladiator universe? If we look at the premise of the sequel, one character in particular comes into question: Lucius Verusplayed by Aftersun star Paul Mescal. Lucius is the son of Marcus Aurelius and Lucilla from the first part and lives in the province of Numidia.
When the castle is attacked by Roman soldiers, Lucius is taken prisoner. Inspired by the Story of Russell Crowe’s Maximus he fights for his freedom in the arena. In the context of Scott’s statement, this could mean that Lucius ends up in a powerful position – and has to pay a high price for it.
The Godfather and The Godfather 2 seem to be generally popular models for historical epics set in ancient Rome. Roland Emmerich recently called the sequel to Mafia masterpiece as a model for the second season of the gladiator series Those About To Die, which premiered on Amazon Prime Video in July this year.
When will Gladiator 3 be released in cinemas?
We are still a long way from a theatrical release of Gladiator 3. As previously written: The project has not yet been given the green light. If Scott really wants to make the film, that will be decided by the box office results of the second part, which will be released on 14 November 2024 in German cinemas. The more successful Gladiator 2 is at the box office, the more likely Gladiator 3 will be.