As far as 2024 movies go, Gladiator II almost felt like it took a lifetime to get into the world. There was certainly no shortage of interest, and as seen with Nick Cave’s absolutely bonkers sequel draft no drought on ideas. But when it came to actually cracking into the nuts and bolts of the Paul Mescal-led ensemble drama, producers Douglas Wick and Lucy Fisher admit that the time was well spent, as they wanted to avoid being “a pale imitation” of the 2000 Best Picture winner.
During an interview with THR, the producing team of Wick and Fisher held court while laying out the road that led to the recent box office smash. And of course, the reincarnated Maximus idea fell off pretty quickly. However, as Lucy Fisher shared during this conversation, one angle was something that always seemed to be the best way forward:
Like Doug said, there was so much pressure to live up to the first one, and if we were going to do it, we certainly didn’t want to be a pale imitation. We wanted to figure out a story and a character that would be deserving, and while we always knew it was going to be the surviving character of Lucius, we didn’t quite know what the story was. We eventually found the idea of the reluctant prince, and that’s when it all began to click.
The storyline that ensued after Gladiator II found its hook is one that sees Lucius at the center of the action is what critical reaction to Ridley Scott’s sequel has been focused on. Although the press cycle has revealed that the Gladiator director’s alternate opening to part two would have seen some action with Russell Crowe’s Maximus.
But in the interest of not falling into the trap of a “pale imitation,” that idea was scrapped for an animated recap of the previous picture’s events. Even with an idea that seemed viable to make the long awaited follow-up a reality, there was another problem that almost all Hollywood movies face: scheduling.
And as Lucy Fisher continued to explain in this same interview, Sir Ridley Scott’s breakneck pace is still quite something:
It makes our careers seem paltry, but Ridley has made 17 movies in between Gladiator movies, which is more than most other people. So we were all busy at different times, and then a number of years ago, we really started to work on the development of the story, which did take a few years.
That work ethic hasn’t slowed down at all, as even during Gladiator II’s early press campaign, Ridley Scott was revealed as developing another Alien movie. Oh, and there was also the hint that the man himself is already entertaining ideas for a Gladiator III.
Which probably isn’t a bad idea, considering how wide open Gladiator II’s ending happens to be. Though for Douglas Wick and Lucy Fisher’s sakes, I hope another 17 movies don’t jump in line in front of that project. Another 20 years would not be advantageous, as I’m sure they’re as excited as Mr. Scott is for that potential return.
In the meantime, friends, readers, citizens of the internet, you can currently see Gladiator II in theaters now. And those who want to dream of how different Gladiator’s ending would hit if Maximus did appear in that scrapped opening, a Paramount+ subscription is all you’ll need to make it happen.