Is “Gladiator II” going to turn out to be another “Napoleon” for Ridley Scott? That wouldn’t be a good thing. However, buzz on the sequel has been through the roof, at least ever since its trailer debut at CinemaCom, then, the icing on the cake, it test-screened last week to exuberant reactions in Vegas.
It’s come to the point where some are already saying it could be an Oscar contender, and much like Empire City’s tweet above, that it’s Scott’s best film in ages. Then again, “Gladiator II” is said to use the same blueprint as the original, but adds in man-eating monkeys, sharks, massive rhinos and Paul Mescal. There’s also no Russell Crowe, for obvious reasons.
David Scarpa is writing the screenplay for the sequel, which has a November 22 release date. It’s coming out smack dab in the middle of awards season and, based on what I’ve heard, might very well be skipping the fall fests. There’s a lot riding on this one — it cost $310 million to produce — so no need for Paramount to showcase it too early in the fall. However, who are we kidding here? It all comes down to Scott. Can he deliver the goods?
Scott, 86, is a very hit and miss filmmaker — in my books, his last great film was 2007’s “American Gangster.” Since then, he’s released “Body of Lies,” “Robin Hood,” “Prometheus,” “The Counselor,” “Exodus,” “The Martian,” “Alien: Covenant,” “All the Money in the World,” “The Last Duel,” “House of Gucci” and “Napoleon.” There are a few good ones in the bunch, but also plenty of duds.
While James L. Brooks teased last year that "we'll soon be seeing" Jack Nicholson, 89, act again, and that he was "reading scripts," that idea has now been shut down by his close friend Michael Douglas, 82.