Ridley Scott sa,d he and Russell Crowe are fine as long as Crowe doesn’t complain about ‘Gladiator II.’
“I think [Russell Crowe] is still one of the best actors in the world, and I think we have a good relationship,” the director stated. “I hope we do. As long as he doesn’t start bitching about how he wasn’t consulted. Why would I? He’s dead!”
Crowe has said many times that no one asked him about the film, and he feels ‘a bit uncomfortable’ about a sequel being made. “I’m slightly uncomfortable with the fact they’re making another one — because, of course, I’m dead and I have no say in what gets done,” the actor noted during a June appearance on the Kyle Meredith With… podcast.
He continued, “But a couple of the things I’ve heard I’m like — no, no, no, that’s not in the moral journey of that particular character. But I can’t say anything, it’s not my place, I’m six foot under. So we’ll see what that is like.”
Crowe starred in the 2000 film but isn’t in the sequel because his character died. In a 2023 interview with Collider, Crowe admitted feeling a bit jealous about not being in ‘Gladiator 2.’
“The only thing that I really feel about it is slightly jealous, you know?” the actor explained. “Because I was a much younger man, obviously, and it was a huge experience in my life. It’s something that changed my life, really. It changed the way people regarded me and what I do for a living, and, you know, I’ve been very lucky to be involved in lots of big movies, but the legs on that film are incredible.”
The sequel takes place years after the original, with Paul Mescal playing Lucius, who was originally played by Spencer Treat Clark in 2000. Along with Mescal, the cast includes Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger, Connie Nielsen, and Derek Jacobi. ‘Gladiator 2’ will arrive in the U.S. on November 22, 2024.
