Russell Crowe seemed to be on board with Ridley Scott’s sequel to Gladiator, even though he was not part of last year’s movie – for the obvious reason that the character died in the 2000 Oscar-winner. In a recent interview, though, Crowe was a little less complimentary of the film, which ended up being something of a box office disappointment thanks to its mega-budget of $210 million.
Speaking with Triple J, Crowe shared the big gripe he has with Scott’s decisions in the sequel’s story, and pointed out the one thing he believed was sorely missed in Gladiator II that let it down.
“I think the recent sequel that, you know, we don’t have to name out loud, is a really unfortunate example of even the people in that engine room not actually understanding what made the first one special. It wasn’t the pomp. It wasn’t the circumstance. It wasn’t the action. It was the moral core.”
Crowe continued to lay into Scott’s story of Maximus having an illegitimate son, Lucius, and made it clear that even when he was working on the original Gladiator, he felt responsible for keeping the character’s integrity intact.
“The thing is, there was a daily fight on that set. It was a daily fight to keep that moral core of the character. The amount of times they suggested sex scenes and stuff like that for Maximus. It’s like you’re taking away his power. So you’re saying at the same time he had this relationship with his wife, he was f—ing this other girl? What are you talking about? It’s crazy.”
‘Gladiator II’ Brought the Star Power but Ultimately Failed at the Box Office
While Gladiator II took a total of $462 million at the worldwide box office last year, its epic budget meant that the film was not that profitable from just its theatrical run. Although it did not become the tragic flop that many of Scott’s recent historical movies have been, even having the likes of Denzel Washington in the cast did not help the film to spectacular reviews.
Scott has suggested that he has an idea about where the franchise could go next, and Gladiator III could well be on the cards. However, it is clear that there would need to be some big changes made to stop a third Gladiator movie from becoming the box office bomb that Gladiator II very nearly became. Scott is not exactly known for taking criticism lightly, so whether he would want to take notes on his next Roman epic seems pretty unlikely, regardless of what that means for its potential success in the harsh arena of public and critical opinion.
- Release Date
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November 22, 2024
- Runtime
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148 minutes
