Production has been completed on Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator 2.” I bet that’s a huge sigh of relief for Scott, who saw his set get shut down on July 13th, just hours before the SAG-AFTRA strike began.
Due to the strike, the shutdown was costing Paramount/Universal $600,000 per week. Scott’s sequel was filming in Malta and the cost of holding on to the rented soundstages is to blame for the exorbitant amount of wasted money. Overall, Paramount is said to have lost around $10 million due to the shutdown.
Scott has amassed quite the cast for the sequel, including Denzel Washington, Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn and Connie Nielsen. Will it result in a good movie? That remains to be seen.
We’re not entirely sure about the plot details for “Gladiator 2.” All we know is that Mescal will star as Lucius, the nephew of Joaquin Phoenix’s Commodus, and that Connie Nielsen is returning to the role of Lucilla, Commodus’ sister and Lucius’ mother. Here’s what Scott recently told IndieWire’s Anne Thompson:
Without giving away too much of the plot, the word is out. It really boils down to whatever happened to Lucius. Lucius was the survivor of the first one, which people forgot, fortunately. Lucius was the son of Lucilla; he disappeared at the end because there’s no reason to follow him. And we utilize that as a device to say what happened and where did we go next?
During the course of his 50-year career, Scott has been very hit or miss, but he did direct “Blade Runner” and “Alien,” among others, and a new film from him is always more than welcome. Scott, 86, is next supposed to shoot a Western in the spring. He also has the recently-announced “BOMB,” which could come soon after.
“Gladiator 2” is currently scheduled for a November 22, 2024 release.
Cory Finley, a talented filmmaker, has directed three films so far: "Thoroughbreds" (2017), "Bad Education” (2020), and "Landscape with Invisible Hand.”