Gladiator 2 is finally moving forward after over two decades of speculation. Director Ridley Scott revealed in November last year that a script is complete and will be the British director’s next production. He is also directing the Joaquin Phoenix-led Napoleon, which is currently filming and will premiere sometime next year. The Gladiator 2 screenplay was written by Peter Craig, whose stock has skyrocketed this year following the release of the box office smash The Batman, which he co-wrote with Planet of the Apes franchise director Matt Reeves.

Plot and casting details are being kept firmly under wraps for the Gladiator sequel, unsubstantiated rumors about Chris Hemsworth’s involvement notwithstanding. But there is more than enough material in print for us to make a few educated guesses. Plenty of information has been circulating about Gladiator 2 for some time now. Fans have speculated on plots, actors have pledged their desire to be involved with the project, and entire scripts have been written by third parties. There is a fervent desire for the movie to be made, and producers have heard the call. Old stars and new actors alike are lining up for the project. And 20 years have passed, creating exciting new possibilities for certain characters’ storylines. As we’re happy to have the hype, here’s everything we know about the film so far.

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

Updated by Ted Bajer August 2022: If you’re looking for news on Gladiator 2, you’ll be happy to know that we’ve updated this article with info on Spencer Treat Clark’s character and Russell Crowe’s involvement.

Gladiator 2: The Plot

     Universal Pictures

Fans of Gladiator will remember the tense scenes between Russell Crowe’s Maximus and Lucilla, whose studied nonchalance in the presence of her maniacal brother Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) was beautifully portrayed by Connie Nielsen. Lucilla’s son, Lucius (Spencer Treat Clark), served as a surrogate for Maximus’s own son, who was revealed early in the film to have been killed on Commodus’s orders.

The idea of using Lucius’s life as a focus for a sequel has been a favorite of Scott’s for many years. In fact, the concept was first touted by the director all the way back in 2003. Pressed for a comment on her possible appearance as Lucius’s mother in the sequel, Nielsen told the New York Post only that she was “not allowed to say anything” in December 2021. However, strong performances opposite Gal Gadot as Hippolyta in Wonder Woman (2017) and Wonder Woman 1984 (2020) amply demonstrate the gravitas that made her so compelling in Gladiator and make her a natural choice for a sequel.

Gladiator 2: The Cast

Spencer Treat Clark has been recast for his role as Lucius. It gives ground to the theory that this movie will center on Lucilla’s son. He is the first and only cast member to be announced so far, which is typically a good hint that they will have the starring role. Since 2000, the actor graduated from child to adult roles with ease and continues to perform to critical acclaim in television and film productions. Clark has been seen in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and will star in the upcoming adaptation of Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot.

​​​​

Fans wonder if Maximus will return, despite his death at the end of the movie. Russell Crowe stated in 2020 that he had not been contacted with a question of appearing. In late 2021, however, it was rumored that Crowe would be co-producing the sequel and might also be starring in it, albeit in a series of flashbacks. Although signs point to Spencer Treat Clark starring, Crowe may still appear for the sake of the fans, or if not appear, then may be involved in development somehow. While Ridley Scott is perfect for Gladiator 2, it would be a smart move to have Crowe involved simply for the sake of understanding the original film. Russell Crowe seems to be up to the task, having posted Gladiator-related content on Twitter – before he became Zeus in Thor, that is.

Nick Cave’s Script

It remains to be seen whether Gladiator 2 will incorporate any of the material written by Nick Cave. The Australian singer-songwriter best known for his work with The Bad Seeds is also no stranger to the world of screenwriting. He penned the critically acclaimed meat pie western The Proposition (2005) and the award-winning prohibition drama Lawless (2012) based on Matt Bondurant’s novel The Wettest County in the World. In the mid-2000s, Cave was approached by his friend Russell Crowe and tasked with writing a sequel to Gladiator.

Thrown the curveball of having to produce a continuation of a story whose main character was killed at its conclusion, Cave duly ventured into the realm of the supernatural. The writer envisaged Maximus as coming face to face with a bevy of Roman gods, including Jupiter and Mars, in the afterlife, who send him back to Earth to kill a god who has betrayed them. After that, Maximus would star in a series of time-traveling adventures.

But it was not faithful to the spirit of the original, and Crowe passed. Nor does it seem likely that Scott asked Craig to rehash Cave’s work, given the director’s predilection for conventional historical dramas such as Kingdom of Heaven (2005) and 2021’s The Last Duel.

Nevertheless, several of the plot details of Cave’s script speak well of his feel for the cinematic. One of the most compelling scenes in the script was that in which a Roman amphitheater plays host to a mock sea battle featuring ships and alligators. It sounds like a typical piece of Hollywood hyperbole. Still, strangely enough, this actually happened. A few of the largest Roman amphitheaters were built with the facility to be flooded for these spectacles. If Peter Craig’s screenplay incorporates some of Cave’s material, as has been speculated, it may well be this historically accurate, high-drama scene that we see.

Release Date

A release date for Gladiator 2 has yet to be confirmed.