2000's Gladiator gave Russell Crowe superstar status and earned him an Oscar for Best Actor. That movie ended with the death of Maximus but there's long been chatter online about filmmaker Sir Ridley Scott somehow finding a way to bring him back from the dead.
Gladiator 2 reveals that neither Lucius Verus nor Joaquin Phoenix's Emperor Commodus is Lucius' (played by Paul Mescal in this movie) father. Instead, as we've long suspected, Lucius is Maximus' son following his brief romance with Lucilla (Connie Nielsen) before the events of the first movie.
So, is Russell Crowe in Gladiator 2? While he could have easily returned in flashbacks, dream sequences or, heck, even via a miraculous recovery from that stab wound, no, Russell Crowe does not appear in the movie.
In fact, the only returning cast members are Derek Jacobi and Connie Nielsen, who star as Senator Gracchus and Lucilla.
There is, however, a Maximus tease of sorts as Gladiator 2's final scene sees Lucius return to the Colosseum where he touches the sand and asks his father to "speak" to him. The classic Gladiator theme then plays and we see Maximus' hand touching the fields of wheat in the dreamlike afterlife as the screen fades to black.
"I’m slightly uncomfortable, the fact they’re making another one, you know?" Crowe previously said of Scott's sequel plans. "Because of course, I’m dead, and I have no say in what gets done. A couple of things that I’ve heard, I’m like, 'No, no, no. That’s not in the moral journey of that particular character.'"
"But you know, I can’t say anything. That’s not my place. I’m six feet under. So we’ll see what that is like," he continued. "I hear that young fella Paul is a good dude and I wish him the best of luck with it. I think where they’re picking the story up from, a young Lucius, stepping into the role of emperor. I think that’s a very smart idea within the world of the film that we created."
Will you be watching Gladiator 2 in theaters this weekend?
From legendary director Ridley Scott, Gladiator II continues the epic saga of power, intrigue, and vengeance set in Ancient Rome. Years after witnessing the death of the revered hero Maximus at the hands of his uncle, Lucius (Paul Mescal) is forced to enter the Colosseum after his home is conquered by the tyrannical Emperors who now lead Rome with an iron fist. With rage in his heart and the future of the Empire at stake, Lucius must look to his past to find strength and honor to return the glory of Rome to its people.
Based on characters by David Franzoni and a story by Peter Craig and David Scarpa, Ridley Scott directs Gladiator II from a script by Scarpa. The cast includes Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger, Lior Raz, Derek Jacobi, with Connie Nielsen and Denzel Washington.
Gladiator II arrives in theaters on November 22.