Gladiator 3 Confirmed By Ridley Scott
Filmmaker Ridley Scott’s long-anticipated sequel to his 2000 Academy Award-winning Gladiator will be making its way to theaters before year-end. But the Alien director revealed recently in an interview with a French publication that he’s already “toying with the idea of Gladiator 3.”
Scott compares the ending of the upcoming Gladiator 2 to that of The Godfather and will consider making the third installment in the same vein: a new chapter that includes a man like Michael Corleone who “doesn’t want to be where he is.”
All Depends On Gladiator 2
Whether or not there will be a Gladiator 3 will be largely based on just how successful the upcoming second film will be at the box office. Ridley Scott’s most recent endeavor, last year’s Napoleon, managed to generate a great deal at the box office when it raked in more than $220 million. But the high production budget that teetered just over $200 million made the director’s project somewhat of a studio disappointment that only managed lukewarm reviews by critics.
Gladiator 2 Releases In November
And before fans ever get a look at Gladiator 3, they’ll have Gladiator 2 to look forward to. Set to open in theaters on November 22, the Paramount film contains what Ridley Scott describes as the “biggest action sequence” the director has ever created.
Though he established that scene’s place at the beginning of the movie’s timeline, he was mum about much of what viewers could expect when they are able to see the film firsthand in two months.
Leans On AI
One detail Ridley Scott revealed about Gladiator 2 that will certainly get some mixed reactions is the director’s embrace of AI technology. In one scene, a gladiator must face a rhinoceros that Scott stated was computer generated. Whether or not AI will be used more for a potential Gladiator 3 remains to be seen, though his description of the method used to make the creature makes it seem as realistic as possible.
The Original Is A Classic
Gladiator 3 will certainly have a lot of ground to cover when it comes to matching the success of the first film in the series. The film was a critical and commercial success, bringing in more than $465 million in ticket sales across a budget that was only $100 million. In an era that saw peak years for DVD and VHS rentals and sales, the movie made an additional $60 million in physical media sales in its first week of release.
Gladiator 3 Could Still Be Up In The Air
Questions loom over whether or not Gladiator 2 or 3 will have the success on the red carpet that the original enjoyed, too. Ridley Scott’s first endeavor in the franchise garnered twelve Academy Award nominations, securing wins for Best Picture, Best Actor (Russell Crowe), Best Visual Effects, Best Sound, and Best Costume Design. The film was set during the latter part of the second century CE in the Roman Empire and, though fictional, was based in large part on real events.
How closely the second installment (or the potential Gladiator 3) will follow history will soon be revealed.
Sources: Premiere Magazine
