Russell Crowe is opening up about the Gladiator sequel Ridley Scott has been working on and that will be released in November 2024. The actor, who won an Oscar for his role in the aforementioned movie, is not part of the follow-up and is saying he’s “slightly jealous.”
“I mean, look, the only thing that I really feel about it is slightly jealous, you know? Because I was a much younger man, obviously, and it was a huge experience in my life,” Crowe told Collider in an interview. “It’s something that changed my life, really. It changed the way people regarded me and what I do for a living, and, you know, I’ve been very lucky to be involved in lots of big movies, but the legs on that film are incredible.”
Crowe continued, “Here it is, it’s 2023, and we made that film in 1999. I guarantee you, somewhere around the world tonight, Gladiator is going to be showing on primetime TV. And you don’t always get that kind of longevity with every film you do, so, it obviously holds a special place in my heart.”
Scott is directing the sequel that is set to star Paul Mescal with David Scarpa penning the script. Barry Keoghan is reportedly in talks to board the film sequel.
In the follow-up, Mescal is set to play the role of Lucius, the son of Lucilla (Connie Nielsen) and the nephew of Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix).