I was hesitant to see Gladiator 2 given that the first film is one of my favorites of all time, and I didn’t really want to alter that crystalized memory. Well, I couldn’t help myself and yes, I do regret seeing Gladiator 2, even if it had some decent aspects (Denzel Washington, and that was mostly it).
Now, Ridley Scott, maker of whatever movies he damn well pleases, has said in a new interview that there will “certainly” be a Gladiator 3:
“Given the performance in the rest of the world we’ve seen yesterday, there’s certainly going to be a Gladiator III.”
The film has made $320 million, and box office analysts project it could end with $450 million. The film cost at least $350 million for production and marketing. I guess that’s enough for at least Ridley Scott to self-greenlight another sequel, though we’ll see about the studio, particularly if budgets keep flying upward.
It is also worth noting the film is performing well in a crowded market that now also includes Wicked and Moana 2, box office monsters themselves, so if it had more room to breathe, it may have seen even larger totals.
The film reviewed okay, not all that much below the first (it seems crazy in hindsight that critics gave Best Picture winner Gladiator 1 just an 80% score, Gladiator 2 is a 71%), but audience scores match the first one.
As for the story of a potential third film, the second film (spoilers) ended with almost everyone dead. Connie Nielsen’s Lucilla, Pedro Pascal’s Acacius, Denzel Washington’s Macrinus, and twin emperors Geta and Caracalla, played by Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger.
Of course, the lead of the film, unlike Russell Crowe’s Maximus, survived. That would be Paul Mescal’s Lucius, Maximus and Lucilla’s son who should at least theoretically be emperor now, given his bloodline and the fact everyone else is dead. But that’s not how history played out in real life. In the end, we see him kill Macrinus and unite rival armies with seemingly all his enemies vanquished.
Gladiator 2 takes place in 211 AD, though since Ridley Scott has always played fast and loose with historical accuracy, there’s little point guessing what he may try next with the storyline. Macrinus, also a real character like the twins, did indeed have a period of rule, albeit for a year, not seemingly a matter of minutes like in the film. Continuing to the next actual emperor who ruled for four years, that would be Elagabalus, who introduced worship of the Syrian god Elagabal, which was controversial (and also his namesake).
By 235 AD the Roman Empire, after the assassination of Elagabalus, was thrown into the “Crisis of the Third Century” which was a huge period of instability in the Empire. Seems like a good place for a movie. The true “fall” of the Roman Empire is generally not thought of as happening until 476 AD, a huge leap from the current timeline that even Ridley Scott probably wouldn’t attempt. But we’ll see.
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