Gladiator IIshould have been split into two parts, just likeWickedwas. The story ofGladiator IIbeing expanded across two movies would have served the characters better, and allowed the second film to more properly set up thepotentialGladiator 3. Releasing the twoGladiatorsequels closer to each other also would have better established the series as a proper franchise, and would have built significantly more hype for the third film after theending ofGladiator II.
Leading up to the simultaneous release ofGladiator IIandWicked, fans were referring to the event as “Glicked,” which is reminiscent of 2023’s “Barbenheimer.” Even thoughGladiator IIis a sequel to the popular 2000 film starring Russell Crowe,Wickedperformed significantly better at the box office and has a lot more buzz heading into awards season. One of the reasons people are talking aboutWickedmore is because the sequel,Wicked: For Good, is releasing next year. Therefore,Gladiator IIshould have also had a “Part 2” to ensure that it would remain culturally relevant for longer.
Gladiator 2 & Gladiator 3 Should Have Been A Two-Part Movie Like Wicked
Gladiator 2’s Story Should Have Been Stretched Across Two Movies
Gladiator 3hasn’t officially been confirmed to be in development, but director Ridley Scott has suggested that he is really interested in making a third movie. Clearly, Scott saw potential in the series beyond justGladiator II. If this was the case, thenGladiator IIandGladiator 3should have been written together, or an overarching story should have at least been mapped out, so that the two movies feel more connected to each other.
Maximus' Gladiator 2 “Return” Means Russell Crowe Must Be In Gladiator 3 Now
Gladiator 3 has no choice but to feature Russell Crowe’s return as Maximus after teasing his hand at the end of the long-awaited second film.
As it stands, it seems like only Paul Mescal’s Lucius will return forGladiator 3, as basically every other majorGladiator IIcharacterdied. It will be exciting to see Lucius onscreen again, but since all the other characters are dead, the story ofGladiator 3will be completely separate fromGladiator II. IfGladiator 3was always a strong possibility for Scott and his team, then more characters should have survived the second film. This is not the case, however, soGladiator 3will have to develop brand-new characters, which is something thatGladiator IIdidn’t always excel at.
Gladiator 2’s Reviews Critique Underdeveloped Characters
Whilereviews forGladiator IIhave been respectable,the film hasn’t been nearly as adored as its predecessor, 2000’sGladiator. One of the main critiques ofGladiator IIis that many of the characters in the movie are underdeveloped. There are several intriguing characters inGladiator II, such as Pedro Pascal’s General Acacius, Connie Nielsen’s Lucilla, and Denzel Washington’s Macrinus, but none of them get enough attention to be fully fleshed out.
PerhapsGladiator IIcould have ended after General Acacius dies in the Colosseum, andGladiator 3could have seen Macrinus rise to power.
Even Mescal’s Lucius struggles to be an intriguing character among a star-studded cast. In his review, Richard Lawson fromVanity Fairwrote that Lucius “gets lost in the shuffle, becoming less of a character than another mere piece on the game board.” More screen time across two movies could have helped improve the characters that were introduced inGladiator II. PerhapsGladiator IIcould have ended after General Acacius dies in the Colosseum, andGladiator 3could have seen Macrinus rise to power. Instead,Gladiator 3will probably just enlist several new A-listers to join Mescal.
Gladiator 3 Will Have The Same Problem That Gladiator 2 Did
Gladiator 3 Will Likely Repeat Gladiator 2’s Mistakes
SinceGladiator 3will probably introduce several new characters just to kill them in the same movie, it will most likely face the same problem thatGladiator IIdid. Introducing so many new characters will take time away from Lucius, and make it so that none of the characters get enough attention. If it had been set up as an overall story that spans across two movies, this problem could have been avoided.
If You Thought Gladiator 2 Was Historically Inaccurate, Just Wait Until Gladiator 3
Gladiator 3 is unlikely to be any more historically accurate than Gladiator 2, with Lucius set up to fight a more political battle for Rome’s future.
Overall,Gladiator 3is yet another sequel that doesn’t need to happen. There is a lot of potential in theGladiatorfranchise, but the films will never be as good as the original if they are not properly planned out. It seems likeGladiator 3is destined to repeat the mistake thatGladiator IImade. While it will likely be a very entertaining and ambitious movie, it is almost a certainty thatGladiator 3won’t be nearly as good as the originalGladiatorfilm.
Gladiator II
Cast
Gladiator 2 is the follow-up to Ridley Scott’s award-winning film Gladiator from 2000. Scott returns to direct the sequel, with Paul Mescal staring as Lucius, alongside Denzel Washington and Joseph Quinn as the villain Emperor Geta. Gladiator 2 had been stuck in development hell for years before a script written by David Scarpa finally moved forward.
