Ridley Scott Is ‘Already Toying With the Idea’ for ‘Gladiator 3’: ‘Seriously! I’ve Lit the Fuse’

Ridley Scott is reviving his “Gladiator” franchise after 24 years with the upcoming “Gladiator II,” and it sounds like that may be the end of the road for his epic story. Speaking to France’s Premiere magazine, the Oscar-nominated filmmaker confirmed he’s already developing the idea for a third “Gladiator.”

“I’m already toying with the idea of ​​Gladiator 3. No, seriously! I’ve lit the fuse,” Scott said. “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.”

“Gladiator II” stars Paul Mescal as a grown-up Lucius, the son of Lucilla (Connie Nielsen) and the nephew of Commodus, the original film’s antagonist played by Joaquin Phoenix. The story picks up years later with Lucius now living in the northern African region of Numidia, where he was sent by his mother as a child as it was just outside the reach of the Roman Empire. Events bring Lucius back to Rome as a gladiator, where he makes new enemies and reunites with his mother. Denzel Washington plays Macrinus, a wealthy powerbroker in Rome who keeps a stable of gladiators for sport. The cast also includes Pedro Pascal and Joseph Quinn.

As is the case with any Hollywood franchise, the existence of a third “Gladiator” will hinge entirely on the success of “Gladiator II.” The movie has already received high praise from Scott himself, who told Empire magazine in August that the sequel is “the best thing I’ve ever made. One of the best things. I’ve made a few good ’uns.”

Scott also touted to Empire that “Gladiator II” begins with “probably the biggest action sequence I’ve ever done. Probably bigger than anything in ‘Napoleon.’” Although the filmmaker didn’t share too many details about the opening action sequence in “Gladiator 2,” he did tease a moment where Mescal’s Lucius faces a rhinoceros in the Colosseum.

“Computerization and AI — you have to embrace it,” Scott said of building the computer-generated rhino for the scene. “I can have a computer read every molecule and wrinkle on a rhino and then cut it on a thick piece of plastic, absolutely as a rhino’s body, which is then tailored to a skeleton shape.”

He added, “I have this thing that can do 40 miles an hour, spin on the spot, wag its head and snarl. A two-ton rhino with a guy on its back! I mean, it’s a lot of fun.”

“Gladiator 2” is set to open in theaters on Nov. 22 from Paramount.