Ridley Scott‘s ancient Rome would draw some inspiration from a mafia classic for a possible third “Gladiator” film.
Ahead of his highly-anticipated sequel “Gladiator II,” Scott told The Hollywood Reporter that he already has plans for a third franchise installment that would be inspired by Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Godfather: Part II.”
“Gladiator II,” which opens November 22 in theaters, is set 20 years after the events of the first 2000 film. Paul Mescal plays the son of Russell Crowe’s deceased character Maximus; Mescal’s Lucius is the grandson of Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris). Joseph Quinn, Pedro Pascal, Connie Nielsen, and Denzel Washington also star star.
According to Scott, “Gladiator” fans won’t have to wait another 25 years for a follow-up as he is eyeing a third film after the upcoming buzzy sequel.
When asked if Scott would release his original longer cut of “Gladiator II,” he told THR, “Yeah, later. Maybe I’d rather get into ‘Gladiator III.’ There’s already an idea.”
In fact, that idea has roots in Coppola’s Coreleone epic.
“I’ve always had this idea based on ‘The Godfather: Part II’…” Scott said.
“The Godfather: Part II” was released in 1974 and traced the problems of Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) in 1958 in comparison to those of his father, a young immigrant Vito Corleone (Robert De Niro) in 1917 Manhattan. “The Godfather: Part III” later closed out the trilogy in 1990.
Could Scott’s proposed “Gladiator III” then bring back Crowe? Scott seems more focused on the reception of “Gladiator II” first.
“‘Gladiator II’ definitely signals it could be quite a large success. It’s almost got everything you need for that,” Scott said. “Since [the original] ‘Gladiator,’ I think I’ve done 16 movies — which is kind of a lot in 20 years. I always envied being an actor and you can do two or three movies a year. They don’t have to do any prep except learn their lines. I’ve got to have it written, budget it, cast it, shoot it, make it, edit it, and deliver it. The actor just has to turn up and do his fucking job. […] I wouldn’t be doing it [if directing felt like work]. It’s my passion and therefore my pleasure. I think it actually keeps me going.”
He added of his prolific career, “I got good at cutting away all the crap. You can’t have 40 projects in development. That’s a bad idea. I usually have three or four. And I think that’s why I have a great relationship with Fox. I’ve done 13 films for Fox, which may be the highest any director would do for a studio. It’s a bit like opening a restaurant. You better eat there every night. So I eat at my table every night with Fox. I think that’s why I’ve been valuable to them. You win some, you lose some, but overall they have been rewarded for what I do. Because they’re now Fox-Disney, there’s now this tricky balance of how extreme they can go, and I respect that.”
Scott previously hinted at a possible “Gladiator III,” telling France’s Premiere magazine that he was “already toying” with a script for the third film.
“I’ve lit the fuse,” Scott said. “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.”
Scott later said to Total Film that he already had “eight pages” of a “Gladiator III” story.
“I’ve got the beginning of a very good footprint,” Scott said. “If there’s a ‘Gladiator III,’ I don’t think you’d ever go back into the arena. But I had to go back into the arena…”
