November 16th 2024.
In an alternate reality, the sequel to the iconic film Gladiator took a wild turn. Instead of seeing Paul Mescal and Pedro Pascal battling it out in the arena, the story followed Maximus in the afterlife. This highly-anticipated sequel to the Oscar-winning historic drama from Ridley Scott picked up years after Maximus' death, introducing us to his son Lucius and his thirst for revenge.
But things could have been very different. After the success of the first film, Russell Crowe was eager to star in a potential sequel. However, there was one small problem - his character was dead. But Russell wasn't one to let a little thing like death stop him. The 60-year-old Hollywood star decided to take matters into his own hands and enlisted the help of Australian writer and musician Nick Cave instead of the original screenwriter, John Logan.
Nick Cave was thrilled at the opportunity to write a sequel that went beyond the traditional boundaries. He briefly put aside his music career to come up with one of the most outlandish plots of all time. In this version, Maximus, freshly dead, is greeted by Jupiter and other Roman gods in the afterlife. He is given a mission to kill Hephaestus and secure his place in Elysium, where he can be reunited with his family. However, his plan goes awry when he returns to the human world and faces off against Lucius, the villainous son of Maximus' former ally, Lucilla.
While Nick Cave was excited about his vision, both Russell Crowe and Ridley Scott were not convinced. Russell simply stated, "Don't like it, mate." And Ridley admitted that the plot became too grand and that he wasn't confident about it. He even tried to pitch a potential sequel to Russell a few years later, but the actor reminded him that his character was dead. Ridley's solution was to bring Maximus back to life by having him possess the body of another soldier. However, this idea didn't sit well with Russell, as he would either have to play a different character or be a copy of Maximus.
Despite the roadblocks, Nick Cave enjoyed writing the script, knowing it would never get made. But now, with a new Gladiator film in the works, Russell Crowe has expressed his discomfort with the idea of a sequel that he has no control over. He stated that he's uncomfortable with the fact that they're making another one and that he's not involved in the creative process. However, he did mention that he's heard some ideas that don't align with the moral journey of his character, but he has no say in the matter.
The new film, released in UK cinemas on Friday, has received a positive response, with a 76% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Metro's review praised the film's ambitious scope and efforts, stating that no one else is making movies like this anymore. Despite some minor criticisms, the review concludes that Gladiator 2 is compelling and entertaining.
It's safe to say that the sequel that never was has stirred up a lot of interest and discussion. But for now, we can only imagine what could have been. Who knows, maybe one day we'll get a chance to see Russell Crowe back in the arena, fighting for revenge in the afterlife. But until then, we'll just have to settle for the original film and its iconic portrayal of Maximus by Russell Crowe.
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