Will there be a Gladiator 3? Latest news on possible sequel
Ridley Scott's belated follow-up is just arriving in UK cinemas – and there's already talk of a third outing.
Gladiator week is finally here: After 24 years, Ridley Scott's belated sequel to his Oscar-winning epic arrives in UK cinemas this Friday, a full week before its release across the Atlantic.
Where the first film followed the revenge mission of Russell Crowe's Maximus, this time it's Paul Mescal stepping into the lead role as an older version of original character Lucius – who it turns out is actually the son of Crowe's character, a fact never confirmed in the first film.
Mescal is far from the only big name in the cast – which also includes Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn and the returning Connie Nielsen – and early reviews have so far been mostly positive, with our own four-star verdict calling it "a sturdy sequel that revels in its more ludicrous qualities".
Given we've had to wait almost a quarter of a century for a sequel, you might not necessarily expect a third film to be in the offing anytime soon, but there have already been some rumours that another sequel is on the way.
So, will there be a Gladiator 3? Read on for everything you need to know.
Will there be a Gladiator 3?
While it's not been confirmed, it definitely seems there's a very real possibility we'll be getting another sequel.
Ridley Scott is not a man known to hide his feelings or remain tight-lipped on possible future projects – and so it's not especially surprising that he's already been on the record to state that plans are in place for a third film.
He first brought up the possibility of another instalment back in September when speaking to France’s Premiere magazine, telling the publication: "I’m already toying with the idea of Gladiator 3. No, seriously! I’ve lit the fuse."
He added: "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."
Barely a month later, he gave another update in an interview with Total Film, revealing that progress was already being made on the project.
"I’ve already got eight pages. I’ve got the beginning of a very good footprint," he explained.
More cryptically, he also teased, "If there’s a Gladiator 3, I don’t think you’d ever go back into the arena. But I had to go back into the arena…"
Whether these early plans actually lead to something more concrete is another matter, and will likely depend on both how the new film fares at the box office and the state of play with regard to the numerous other projects Scott currently has in development.
As far as the first of those concerns goes, the early signs are looking promising: pre-sales for the film have been impressive, and with it having attracted mostly positive reviews from critics so far, there's a real chance it could have legs at the box office.
That just leaves Scott's availability. At the age of 86, the director is showing no sign whatsoever of slowing down, with his numerous upcoming films reportedly including a Bee Gees biopic, an adaptation of the 2012 post-apocalyptic novel The Dog Stars, a Western titled Freewalkers, a Battle of Britain film, and a spy flick called Queen & Country.
So, all that remains to be seen is quite how much of a priority he views Gladiator 3 when compared to these other projects – we'll keep you updated when there's any news.
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Gladiator II is released in UK cinemas on Friday 15th November 2024.
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