While fans eagerly await the arrival of *Gladiator 2* in November 2024, director Ridley Scott has already started plotting a third installment in the epic saga. Scott has revealed that he’s begun writing a screenplay for *Gladiator 3*, even though the sequel has yet to grace the big screen.
“I’ve already got eight pages,” Scott shared about the development of *Gladiator 3* in an interview with *Total Film*. “I’ve got the beginning of a very good footprint.” He also hinted at the potential storyline: “If there’s a *Gladiator 3*, I don’t think you’d ever go back into the arena. But I had to go back into the arena…”
This isn’t the first time Scott has teased a *Gladiator 3*. He previously told *Premiere* magazine that he’s been “toying with the idea” of a third film, comparing his *Gladiator* films to Francis Ford Coppola’s *Godfather* trilogy. “The ending of *Gladiator II* is reminiscent of *The Godfather*, with Michael Corleone finding himself with a job he didn’t want, and wondering, ‘Now, Father, what do I do?’ So the next [film] will be about a man who doesn’t want to be where he is,” Scott explained.
However, like most Hollywood projects, the fate of *Gladiator 3* depends on the box office performance of its predecessor. *Gladiator 2* has a reported budget of between $250 million and $310 million, meaning it needs to generate at least double that amount for *Gladiator 3* to become a reality.
Budgetary concerns aside, *Gladiator 2* is still one of the most anticipated releases of 2024. The film features Paul Mescal as Lucius, the Empire’s former heir who is forced into slavery and trained as a gladiator. The sequel also boasts a star-studded cast including Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger, Connie Nielsen, and Denzel Washington. Directed by Scott, *Gladiator 2* is the highly-anticipated sequel to the 2000 Oscar-winning historical epic, *Gladiator*, which took home five Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
