As a seasoned cinephile with decades of movie-watching under my belt, I must say that Ridley Scott‘s announcement of “Gladiator III” piques my interest like a well-aimed javelin. Having witnessed the original “Gladiator” in its theatrical glory back in 2000, I can attest to the epic storytelling and grandeur that this franchise has come to embody.


24 years after its original release, Ridley Scott is bringing back the “Gladiator” series with “Gladiator II,” and it seems that this may not be the final chapter in this epic saga. In an interview with France’s Premiere magazine, the Academy Award-nominated director revealed he is already brainstorming ideas for a potential third “Gladiator” film.

Scott has been contemplating the possibility of Gladiator 3. In all honesty, he’s set things in motion, he declared. The conclusion of Gladiator II mirrors The Godfather, with Michael Corleone facing a role he didn’t seek and pondering, ‘Now, Father, what should I do?’ Thus, the upcoming film will revolve around a character who doesn’t desire to be in his current predicament.

In the sequel titled “Gladiator II”, Paul Mescal portrays an adult Lucius, born to Lucilla (Connie Nielsen) and a nephew of the film’s first antagonist, Commodus, played by Joaquin Phoenix. The narrative resumes years later, with Lucius now residing in the Numidia region of North Africa, where his mother had sent him as a child due to its distance from the Roman Empire. Circumstances eventually lead Lucius back to Rome as a gladiator, where he forges new adversaries and reconnects with his mother. Denzel Washington plays Macrinus, a wealthy influencer in Rome who maintains a stable of gladiators for entertainment. The ensemble also features Pedro Pascal and Joseph Quinn.

The likelihood of a third “Gladiator” movie depends entirely on how well the second one, “Gladiator II,” performs. Ridley Scott himself has expressed high praise for the sequel, telling Empire magazine in August that it’s “one of the best things I’ve ever made. [It’s] among the best things I’ve created. I’ve produced a few quality productions.

Scott additionally boasted to Empire that “Gladiator II” starts with “possibly the most extensive action scene I’ve ever created, possibly larger than anything in ‘Napoleon.'”, though he didn’t reveal much about the initial action sequence in “Gladiator 2”, he did hint at a scene where Lucius, portrayed by Mescal, encounters a rhinoceros within the Colosseum.

In regards to creating the computer-generated rhino for the scene, Scott emphasized the importance of incorporating technology such as computerization and AI. He explained that by allowing a computer to analyze every detail including each molecule and wrinkle on a rhino, he could then carve it onto a thick piece of plastic, resulting in an exact replica of a rhinoceros’ body. This intricately detailed model is then shaped around a skeleton structure.

He remarked, “I possess something that reaches speeds of 40 miles per hour, can rotate in place, shake its head, and growl. It’s essentially a two-ton rhinoceros carrying a person, which makes for an incredible amount of enjoyment.

“Gladiator 2” is set to open in theaters on Nov. 22 from Paramount.

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2024-09-20 21:47