Russell Crowe wanted his Gladiator character to come back from the dead so he could star in a sequel.
Director Ridley Scott previously got together with the actor to discuss plans for a follow up to the 2000 movie and he’s now revealed Crowe wanted to find a way to bring back Maximus even though he died at the end of the first film.
Scott told People: “Russell and I had a go at it [planning Gladiator II] around 18 years ago. I had Nick Cave writing the script and I kept saying [to Russell], ‘But you’re dead.’ And he said, ‘I know I’m dead. And I want to come back from the dead.’”
Scott explained he tried out an idea in which Maximus could come back from the dead via a “portal” which allowed his spirit to be reincarnated but Crowe turned the idea down because it would require another actor in the lead role.
The moviemaker explained: “[We tried the idea of] a portal to bring him back from the dead. The only way of doing it was to go to another battle and through a dying warrior, he comes back into the spirit of the warrior. So that’s his portal …
“[Crowe] said: ‘So that’s no f—ing good, is it?’”
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Scott’s long-awaited sequel hit cinemas this month and doesn’t feature Crowe. The story revolves around Maximus’ son Lucius — played by Paul Mescal — who is enslaved and becomes a gladiator just like his father in the first film.
Crowe previously admitted he feels “slightly jealous” of the cast of the new film as he’s not involved. He told Collider : “I was a much younger man, obviously, and it was a huge experience in my life … [It still] holds a special place in my heart.”
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