After years of toying with the idea, director Ridley Scott is starting to move forward on a sequel to his 2000 film Gladiator. Deadline is reporting that The Town scripter Peter Craig will be working on the screenplay to the follow up.
While the story of Russell Crowe’s character of Maximus, a Roman general-turned-slave who enters the arena to seek his revenge for the murders of his family and his Emperor, came to a definite end at the close of the film, Deadline reports –
Gladiator 2 will follow the continuing story of Lucius, the son of Lucilla (Connie Nielsen), The youth was the nephew of Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix), the weaselly son of Roman leader Marcus Aurelius who murdered his father seized the throne and wound up in the gladiator ring with Maximus, who though mortally wounded, skewered the emperor before fading into the great beyond to reunite with his slain wife and son. Maximus saved the boy and his mother while avenging his own family, and left a strong impression on the young Lucius.
Scott’s original film scored 11 Academy Award nominations including Best Director, Best Supporting Actor for Joaquin Phoenix and Best Original Screenplay. It won five Oscars – Best Picture, Actor for Russell Crowe, Visual Effects, Costume Design and Sound Mixing.
The Gladiator sequel isn’t the only project that Scott has in the works right now. He is also developing a drama about photojournalist Lyndsey Addario which has Scarlett Johansson attached as well as film about the early years in the life of Arthurian legend’s Merlin. Chris Weitz is currently scripting that project. And there is still a potential sequel to Alien: Covenant that might happen despite that film’s disappointing box office performance.
