Twenty-four years after the bloody historical epic Gladiator saw Russel Crowe’s Maximus take on the might of the Roman empire to avenge his family, Ridley Scott is back with a sequel.
Gladiator 2 is in cinemas now with a cast that includes Pedro Pascal, Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington and Joseph Quinn alongside the returning Connie Nielsen and Derek Jacobi.
“Years after witnessing the death of Maximus at the hands of his uncle, Lucius must enter the Colosseum after the powerful emperors of Rome conquer his home,” reads the synopsis. “With rage in his heart and the future of the empire at stake, he looks to the past to find the strength and honor needed to return the glory of Rome to its people.” Based on the trailers released so far, Gladiator 2 will also up the stakes with sharks and rhinos for the plucky Gladiators to contend with, alongside the blood-lust of the Colosseum.
Ridley Scott has teased that the story doesn’t end with Gladiator 2 and he’s already plotting a sequel. Here’s what we know so far.
Does Gladiator 3 have a release date?
Not yet
It’s still early days but it seems the director is keen to crack on with the sequel as soon as possible. “I’d rather get into Gladiator 3” Scott told The Hollywood Reporter recently when asked about his next project.
And despite the scale of Gladiator 2, it was a pretty rapid production once everything slotted into the place. The film was properly announced in 2018 with Mescal signing onto the project in January 2023. Filming started in June the same year and wrapped in January 2024, with a five-month break due to the Writer’s Strike. Ten months after filming finished, Gladiator 2 is in cinemas. So while you shouldn’t expect to see Gladiator 3 for a couple of years, hopefully it won’t be much longer than that.
And with the news that Gladiator 2 has pretty much made back its budget of $103million (£83.5million) during its opening weekend, there’s a good chance the studio will do everything it can to get the sequel sorted as quickly as possible.
Who will return for the sequel?
It depends on who survives the Colosseum…
The first film proved Gladiator isn’t exactly afraid of killing off its big name stars and Gladiator 2 followed suit. But with Paul Mescal’s Lucius surviving the events of the sequel, a third film could very well follow him as he enters a new era.
“Oh yeah, I’m massively down [for another film],” Mescal told Variety recently. “I don’t think it will be [24] years – but I have no idea when it will be.” However with 1000 years of Roman history to pull from, there’s no telling what direction Gladiator 3 could take.
What has the cast said about Gladiator 3?
Scott loves his Gladiator sequel
First things first, Ridley Scott is really proud of Gladiator 2. He told Empire Magazine that the sequel is “one of the best things I’ve ever made [and] I’ve made a few good ’uns.” It means that whatever comes next will have to live up to those lofty expectations.
But Scott is already inspired. Speaking to Premiere magazine, the director confirmed he was “already toying with the idea of Gladiator 3,” and had “lit the fuse” on a third film.
“The ending of Gladiator 2 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?’” he continued. “So the next [film] will be about a man who doesn’t want to be where he is,” with Scott apparently taking inspiration from The Godfather Part 2 for Gladiator 3. Just when you thought you were out…