Last week, Ridley Scott took a lot of people by surprise with his confirmation that “Gladiator 3” was in the works, an idea only recently sparked in his head, now in full blown development.
Scott has now given us an update (via Total Film). It turns out that he’s already started work on the script, and that 8 pages have been written down, so far. He hints that the story might rely less on colosseum action and more on Roman political intrigue.
I’ve already got eight pages. I’ve got the beginning of a very good footprint.
This could very well be his next one after the Bee Gees biopic, which is supposed to start production in early 2025. According to Scott, who turns 87 in November, the sequel would deal with Mescal’s character and the power struggles of the political world in Rome.
“Gladiator 2” hasn’t been released yet, but Paramount and Scott are so confident in its imminent success that they just can’t help themselves. Of course, if the film ends up pulling a ‘Folie à Deux’ with critics and audiences, then “Gladiator 3” will probably never happen.