Ridley Scott Clarifies Those Gladiator 3 Reports

It took the better part of a quarter century for Ridley Scott to revisit Gladiator, his first–and to date, only–film to win the Oscar for Best Picture. Next month, Scott is unveiling the next chapter in Gladiator 2, Recently, Scott teased that he’s already started writing Gladiator 3, but that sequel isn’t necessarily happening yet.

“People say, ‘Have you got [a third film]?’ And I say, ‘Of course.’ That’s the knee-jerk answer,” Scott told EW. “Have we got it yet? Not really. I mean, of course, I was thinking about it even when I was doing Gladiator 2 on the basis of who will survive. It is better if there’s a survivor.”

Scott’s previous comments about the potential sequel strongly implied that his new leading character, Lucius Verus, as played by Paul Mescal, will survive through the events of the movie, unlike his predecessor. However, Mescal says that he and Scott haven’t discussed any sequel plans yet.

“No, that’s fully Ridley’s chair to lift,” said Mescal when he was asked about a possible Gladiator 3 by EW. “That’s his baby. But any plans that he has, I’d be very excited. To be honest, I haven’t heard much from him about it, so I’d be curious.”

If Gladiator 3 does go forward, Lucius would be the character who binds the three films together. Spencer Treat Clark played Lucius as a child in Gladiator, opposite Russell Crowe’s Maximus. Their connection has been played up in one of the most recent trailers, which confirms a long-held theory about them.

Gladiator 2 will hit theaters on November 22.