Director Ridley Scott may have spoiled Gladiator 2's ending

When production of Gladiator II was announced, most fans of the first film were pretty excited. Widely hailed as one of the finest historical epics of its time, 2000's Gladiator chronicles the journey of a classic hero through a betrayed Roman general who rises through the gladiator ranks to avenge his wife and child. From Hans Zimmer's beautiful score (where you can see the blueprints for the Pirates of the Caribbean soundtrack) to Joaquin Phoenix's deliciously villainous performance, this film was an instant classic. The fact that it took 24 years for a sequel to be released is pretty strange by modern Hollywood standards.

But when the first trailers appeared, the anticipation for “Gladiator II” died down a bit. Fans worry that the trailers make the classic Hollywood mistake of giving away far too much of the film's plot, a mistake made worse by the fact that the story, which has been revealed too many times, doesn't seem all that promising. It's hard not to wonder if making a sequel to such a perfect, self-contained film was a mistake.

Ridley Scott expressed further concerns about the upcoming sequel in a recent interview. “I'm already toying with the idea of ​​Gladiator 3,” he told French magazine Premiere. “No, seriously! I lit the fuse (…) The ending of 'Gladiator II' is reminiscent of 'The Godfather', where Michael Corleone finds a job he didn't want and asks himself: 'Now.' “Father, what should I do?” So the next (“Gladiator” film) will be about a man who doesn’t want to be where he is.”

This seemingly all but confirms that Paul Mescal's character Lucius will become Emperor of Rome at the end of Gladiator II. At least we know he will survive his gladiator fights and assume some sort of position of power. Not only does this take some of the excitement out of the viewing experience for many fans, but it also means that the second film won't be the self-contained epic journey that the first film needed to be.

Mescal himself confirmed that Scott's comments were true, telling Premiere: “Yes, Ridley spoke to me about it, but only yesterday! So I'm waiting to see what will happen, but of course I'm interested. But we.” I can’t rush anything. The story has to hold together.

Another reason these quotes are a little concerning for Gladiator fans is that they point to the franchise making a familiar mistake. A few decades ago, both The Matrix and Pirates of the Caribbean launched with a widely praised standalone film. Each of the original films in these franchises wrapped everything up in a neat little bow and offered no real reason (at least to critics) for a follow-up story other than more money for the studio. But not only did both films quickly get a sequel, the studios behind them also gave the green light two Sequels that were filmed one after the other, retroactively making the first film the start of a trilogy.

The results were mixed in both cases. For example, I personally love all of the “Matrix” sequels, but I’m definitely in the minority there. The first two sequels, The Matrix and Pirates, were widely criticized for being too convoluted for their own good, with the middle installments in particular being criticized for focusing more on setting up the third film than on it , to be a standalone film Right. While the reputation of the “Pirates” and “Matrix” series declined throughout the 2000s, “Gladiator” held its own; It was the big blockbuster film that could have easily fallen into the same trap, but wisely chose not to. Now fans are wondering if the property is actually making the same mistake, just with a 20-year delay.

Adding to fans' concerns is Ridley Scott's questionable record of late. Although The Last Duel was great and his recent Alien films were underrated, House of Gucci and Napoleon left a lot to be desired. Sure, Scott compares “Gladiator II” and a possible “Gladiator 3” to the “Godfather” films, but can he still make films at this level of quality?

On the other hand, Scott has long made it clear that he doesn't care about the haters and will keep doing his thing regardless of what people on the internet say about his work. (See also: His message to Blade Runner critics everywhere.) Considering how often his films are panned upon initial release and then positively reviewed over time, we can understand the hostility. Will Ridley Scott prove the skeptics wrong with “Gladiator II” on November 22, 2024? We'll just have to wait and see.