Looks like Maximus (Russell Crowe) may be coming back from the dead in GLADIATOR 2.
Maximus refuses to be minimized. It looks like Russell Crowe will be back in a big way in “Gladiator 2.”
But isn’t he dead?!??!
Walter Parkes, co-head of DreamWorks and the film’s producer says that “dead” is a relative term in toga times.
“Maximus did die in the first ‘Gladiator,’ but the Romans had a great belief in the afterlife. Russell is exploring some ideas on how to come back.”
And this isn’t as strange as it sounds because “Gladiator 2” isn’t exactly a sequel or a prequel, according to the filmmaker. “We can go backwards in time and forward,” says Parkes. As for plot secrets, he divulges, “The piece revolves around Connie Nielsen’s son, who is the last heir of Marcus Aurelius. Rome has become a fascist state and we have a prince who needs to find out who was his father.”
Wink, wink, could it be Maximus? Parkes isn’t saying, but he does insist that the sequel “must be more than the good guys fighting the bad guys in an arena.”
Speaking of which, the Roman Coliseum that was built for the first film isn’t there anymore. “That’s a terrible thing. The set we built had to be torn down for insurance reasons. We built ancient Rome and now we have to rebuild Rome and it won’t be done in a day.”
Parkes doesn’t know if director Ridley Scott will be back to run this toga party. “I dream that he does it,” Parkes says.
Categories