Gladiator II is still weeks away, but that hasn’t stopped Ridley Scot from planning Gladiator 3. Scott has already conceived an idea for a third Gladiator film, even going so far as to write some of the screenplay.
“I’ve already got eight pages,” Scott said about Gladiator 3’s development via Total Film. “I’ve got the beginning of a very good footprint.”
Scott added, “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 …”
This is not the first time Scott has teased Gladiator 3. Scott previously told France’s Premiere magazine that he’s been “toying with the idea” of a third film, comparing his Gladiator films to Francis Ford Coppola’s Godfather trilogy.
“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,” explained Scott.
Like most Hollywood projects, Gladiator 3 hinges on the box office performance of its predecessor. Gladiator II’s rumored budget is between $250 million and $310 million, meaning the film will need to at least double that value for Gladiator 3 to become a reality.
Budgetary issues aside, Gladiator II remains one of the most anticipated movies on the 2024 release calendar. Paul Mescal plays Lucius, the Empire’s former heir who is sold into slavery and trained as a gladiator. The sequel also stars Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger, Connie Nielsen, and Denzel Washington. Directed by Scott, Gladiator II is the sequel to 2000’s Gladiator, the historical epic that won five Oscars, including Best Picture.
Gladiator II opens in theaters on November 22, 2024.
