Universal Pictures
While Russell Crowe might not be starring in the upcoming sequel to Gladiator (obviously, given the fate of his character Maximus Decimus Meridius in the original film), he sounds like he’s certainly on board with Ridley Scott’s plans for the follow-up.
Speaking to MaltaToday, Crowe — who won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his work in Gladtior — says the upcoming sequel is a “completely different story, in the same world.”
“He [Ridley Scott] has been thinking about it for a very long time, he has a very sure clear idea of how to tell the second story. It is not a remake. It is a different story altogether,” Crowe said.
Featuring Academy Award nominee Paul Mescal as Lucius, the son of Crowe’s Maximus, Gladiator 2 also stars Denzel Washington (likely as the film’s villain), Connie Nielsen as Lucilla, Joseph Quinn as Emperor Caracalla, Djimon Hounsou as Juba, Fred Hechinger as Emperor Geta, Derek Jacobi as Senator Gracchus, Pedro Pascal, May Calamawy, and more.
Gladiator 2 will be the biggest role of Mescal’s career so far as he looks to capitalize on the reception to his performance in 2022’s Aftersun, which earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Actor. In addition to Gladiator 2, Mescal is also set to star in films such as Foe, Strangers, and Merrily We Roll Along in the coming years.
At this time, Gladiator 2 is currently scheduled to release in the United States on Friday, November 22, 2024, 24 years after the original Best Picture-filming hit theaters.
Despite not starring in the Gladiator sequel, Crowe is certainly busy over the course of the next few years. Most recently, he starred in The Pope’s Exorcist, which hit theaters in April.
He’s also set to star in the Sony Spider-Man Universe film Kraven the Hunter, the horror-thriller The Georgetown Project, and the murder mystery Sleeping Dogs.