This news may slay you.
Ridley Scott is moving ahead with a “Gladiator” sequel, Deadline reported Thursday.
Scott, who directed the original 2000 film with Russell Crowe, plans to assume the helm again, and “Top Gun: Maverick” screenwriter Peter Craig has been tapped to pen the “Gladiator 2” script, according to the entertainment site, which cited unnamed sources.
The Scott-driven project is in the “early stages of development,” with Paramount negotiating to secure it, according to The Hollywood Reporter. DreamWorks produced the original.
Russell Crowe’s Roman gladiator hero Maximus met his demise at the hands of Joaquin Phoenix’s evil Commodus in the original (but managed to kill his rival before he bled out.) The sequel will feature Commodus’s nephew Lucius, whom Maximus saved from his uncle, according to the reports.
Variety reported that Universal has an option to co-finance the sequel.
The 2000 epic will be a tough act to follow. It won five Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Crowe.
Reps for Paramount and Scott didn’t immediately return HuffPost’s requests for comment.
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