What The Original Gladiator 2 Plan Was (& Why It Didn’t Happen)

While Gladiator II has finally arrived, the sequel was nearly 25 years in the making and went through some ideas over the years. The original Gladiator, directed by Ridley Scott and starring Russell Crowe, premiered in 2000 to strong critical and commercial success. The movie went on to win several Oscars, including Best Actor for Crowe and Best Picture. Decades after its release, the movie continues to be a beloved historical epic which is evidenced by the excitement about the long-awaited sequel.

However, given the success of the first movie, it is not surprising that there have been many attempts over the years to deliver a follow-up. The death of Crowe’s Maximus at the end of Gladiator made it hard to figure out what direction the story could take. However, before landing on the legacy sequel that eventually hit theaters, there were some unexpected ideas for a Gladiator sequel that almost came to fruition, including some that brought back Crowe in a surprising way.

Gladiator 2 Went Through Various Ideas

The Sequel Was Originally Announced In 2002

Despite Gladiator II finally arriving nearly 25 years after the first movie, plans for a sequel began almost immediately after the success of the first. Gladiator II was announced in 2002 with director Ridley Scott confirmed to be returning along with Crowe. It was said that the movie would take place 15 years after the first installment and feature the resurrection of Maximus. However, by 2006, the movie began to slow down its momentum with differing ideas on where to take the story.

It was reported that Crowe was interested in a more fantasy sequel that explored the afterlife beliefs of the Roman people at that time, while the studio was leaning towards a sequel focusing on Maximus and Lucilla’s son, Lucius. Over the years, this conflict of ideas continued to delay the sequel from developing despite Scott remaining interested in the sequel. This eventually led to bolder ideas, such as Nick Cave’s infamous take on the story.

Nick Cave’s Gladiator 2 Idea Explained

Cave Wrote A Centuries-Spanning Story For Maximus

The most talked-about draft of Gladiator 2 was the bizarre version written by Nick Cave. The film would have followed Maximus through the afterlife and reincarnation. He would become an immortal Roman soldier, cursed to live forever serving the republic and its interests. This included killing Lucius, who Maximus then learns was his son, as well as being sent by the pagan gods to destroy Christianity by killing Jesus Christ and his disciples.

The movie would then have followed Maximus through the centuries as a warrior, depicting him fighting in the Crusades, World War II, and Vietnam. The movie would have eventually ended in modern times with Maximus working at the Pentagon. Perhaps not surprisingly given the wild ideas of the script and its deviation from the original movie, Cave’s Gladiator 2 script was eventually rejected.

How Gladiator 2 Would Have Brought Back Russell Crowe’s Maximus

Crowe Wasn’t Happy With The Planned Resurrection

There’s no denying that the film’s proposed sequel as envisioned by Cave’s script sounds unconventional. However, his draft did solve one important riddle that made the prospect of Gladiator 2 difficult, which was how to bring Russell Crowe’s iconic hero Maximus back into the story. Bringing back the film’s titular hero seemed like an impossible feat unless the sequel entered into the realm of fantasy and myth — which is exactly what Cave did. Ridley Scott commented on the potential resurrection of Maximus for Gladiator 2, saying:

You know I can bring him back, I know how to bring him back. I talked him [Crowe] into how I bring him back. I used the [body] of a dying warrior as a portal to bring somebody back.

While Scott seemed to think the idea of resurrecting Maximus was not too difficult, Russell Crowe revealed there was another version of his resurrection that the actor was not as sure about. In speaking to Screen Rant, Crowe revealed Maximus’ return was much more biblical, mimicking the resurrection of Jesus Christ:

I haven’t talked to Doug in a long, long time. Last time I talked to Doug, he said he had this great idea where Maximus gets carried from the stadium and they pull back this big rock and he gets put into this cave and then the rock closes over and he’s anointed with oils. And then the rock opens up and he comes out. And I said, “Doug, I don’t think we have the rights to that story.” But that was a long, long time ago and I don’t think he appreciated my sense of humor at the time.

What Gladiator 2 Ended Up Being

Lucius Returns For The Sequel

Despite the long development and bizarre ideas for Gladiator II, the sequel that eventually did get made ironically went back to one of the first ideas that was initially developed. Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II is set 25 years after the events of the first movie as does follow Lucius as the main character. However, unlike the original plan to make it a movie about Lucius searching for the truth about his biological father, the sequel finds Lucius on his own quest for revenge which mirrors Maximus in the first movie.

Gladiator II Cast

Paul Mescal takes over the role of Lucius as his home is invaded by a Roman general and his army, leading to Lucius being sold into slavery as a gladiator. He then partners with a former gladiator (Denzel Washington) to take revenge on the general who took everything from him, played by Pedro Pascal. Connie Nielsen reprises her role as Lucilla, Lucius’ mother, adding to the connection between the two movies even if Maximus doesn’t return in Gladiator II.