Plans for Gladiator 2, a sequel to the 2000 blockbuster film Gladiator have been in the works for years, with several ideas proposed on how to bring back Russell Crowe's titular character from the dead. The original film, directed by Ridley Scott, grossed $465 million worldwide and earned 12 Oscar nominations, with Crowe winning Best Actor for his role as Maximus Decimus Meridius. Crowe's character succumbed to a stab wound after killing Emperor Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix), and in the final moments of the film, Maximus reunites with his slain wife and child in the afterlife. While Gladiator's ending killed hopes of a franchise, it hasn't stopped plans for a follow-up.
Given that Crowe was the driving force behind Gladiator's success, it's understandable that Scott would want the actor to be a part of the sequel. The director told EW in 2017 that there was a way to bring Maximus back, stating, " Whether it will happen, I don’t know. Gladiator was 2000, so Russell’s changed a little bit. He’s doing something right now, but I’m trying to get him back down here.” In 2018, Deadline reported Scott was moving forward with a second Gladiator film with screenwriter Peter Craig (Top Gun: Maverick) attached to write the script. The story was set to take place 25 years after the events of the original and revolve around Lucius (Spencer Treat Clark), the son of Commodus' sister Lucilla (Connie Nielsen), who Maximus saved from certain death at the hands of his crazed uncle.
Ideas about how to revive the character of Maximus have been circulating since 2009 when Crowe asked Australian rocker Nick Cave to write a follow-up movie about his character's journey in the afterlife, according to a 2018 article in Vanity Fair. Cave's final script had Maximus sent back to Earth by the Gods on a mission to kill Christ: a plot that failed to resonate with Crowe or Scott, who spoke about Cave's idea of bringing back Maximus during an interview with ME.Movies. Scott said that Cave's plan for Gladiator 2 involved using the body of a dying warrior as a portal. While Cave's screenplay had Maximus purging the world of Christians, Gladiator producer Doug Wick approached Crowe with a pitch that had Maximus being resurrected in a Jesus-like fashion. In 2020, Crowe told Screen Rant:
"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."
Wick had his own story to share regarding an unrealized story arc to keep Crowe in the Gladiator 2 fold. In 2020, the producer told ComicBook.com that after Gladiator's opening weekend, Crowe's agent called him with the idea that Maximus faked his death with his body being carried out on a stretcher and around the corner. At that point, the famed combatant reveals he's still very much alive by high-fiving his co-conspirators.
In May 2020, when EW asked Nielsen about a Gladiator 2, the actress said, "So, we did hear from the producers. I think it's just a question of which film is coming first in Ridley's very tight schedule. And then I think it's a question of COVID and can we get back to work." As for Crowe, the prolific actor told E! in August 2020 that he no longer puts much stock when it comes to talks of Gladiator 2, saying that conversations about the sequel have been ongoing since the last day of shooting, although he hasn't been included in any lately. The actor has completed filming on the horror film The Georgetown Project and Thor: Love and Thunder. Scott has remained busy working on numerous TV and movie projects, including the highly-anticipated House of Gucci starring Lady Gaga, Adam Driver, and Jared Leto.