Maybe Ridley Scott is taking a page out of James Cameron’s book, or maybe the 86-year-old filmmaker is just trying to make sure he stays busy. Whatever the case, the Alien director—who has returned to many of his earlier triumphs in recent years—is apparently already working on Gladiator 3. He’s a forward-thinking guy, so it makes sense. What’s perhaps a little surprising is the 24-year sequel Gladiator II is still a month away from release.
Speaking to TotalFilm ( via Deadline) Scott explained he’s in the early plotting stages for a follow-up to the follow-up. “I’ve already got eight pages. I’ve got the beginning of a very good footprint,” he told the publication. He also teased, “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…” Certainly not 100% clear what he means by that.
Scott has been telling other outlets about this, too. He told French magazine Premiere he’s “lit the fuse” on a third installment. “The ending of Gladiator II is reminiscent of The Godfather,” Scott said, “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.”
Little bit “cart-before-the-horse,” if you ask me. Especially in a world where legacy sequels aren’t always the cash cows they were a few years ago. Also, did I mention Ridley Scott is 86 years old? I mean, I get he’s a spry guy but holy cow, man. Granted it’s only eight pages and a lot will depend on how Gladiator II does on November 22, but Scott also has four other films in development or pre-production, so who even knows if he’ll get to a third movie? Time will tell!
Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. He hosts the weekly pop culture deep-dive podcast Laser Focus. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Instagram and Letterboxd.