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The crowd erupted in cheer as Russell Crowe’s Maximus Decimus Meridius got his revenge during the end ofGladiator.That magic of Crowe and director Ridley Scott might never be replicated. And that is what fans are afraid of.
With Denzel Washington and Paul Mescal being a part of the upcoming sequel (titledGladiator II), the fans are indeed excited for the film. Well, most people. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), fans are afraid that the upcoming film will share the same fate as Joaquin Phoenix’s 2023 film!
Gladiator IIMight Not Be Victorious
So, we all know how sequels work. The story from the previous film continues or another story is featured with some loose connections to the past. Well, we also know that when a sequel takes more than 10 years to make, the film often fails.
Russell Crowe and Ridley Scott in behind-the-scenes from Gladiator | Universal PicturesOf course, there are exceptions to everything, andGladiator IImight just be one of those exceptions! WhenRussell Crowe’scharacter died at the end ofGladiator, the world cried at the death of Maximus Decimus Meridius.
![Russell Crowe and Ridley Scott in Gladiator (2000) [Credit: © 2000 - Dreamworks LLC & Universal Pictures]](https://i2.wp.com/fandomwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/gladiator-4.jpg)
Gladiator 2 Test Screening Rumor: 3 Actors are Standouts and None of Them are Pedro Pascal
Since the actor will not be able to return to the franchise, veteran actorsDenzel Washingtonand Paul Mescal are now the two prominent characters in the upcoming movie. A recent post on X (formerly Twitter) stated that the film will have some of the best action sequences ever seen.
‘GLADIATOR 2’ has some of the “biggest action sequences ever put on film”
(Source:@Variety)pic.twitter.com/BOCuVlOvM9
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm)June 16, 2025
As much as fans are excited, they couldn’t help but be reminded of Joaquin Phoenix’s 2023 filmNapoleon.Veteran director Ridley Scott had made quite some extraordinary comments but the film turned out to be a failure (at the box office).
hopefully this doesn’t end up like Napoleon
— lewis (@lewis0701__)July 28, 2025
https://twitter.com/The_Tek_/status/1803456363193864655
hope they don’t ruin it
— wubawuba⭕️7 (@wubawuba07)July 25, 2025
The first movie is such a classic – really wonder if the sequel will be as good. Never expected the first one to get a sequel
— Samantha J. Foster Composer (@sjfostersound)August 21, 2025
pic.twitter.com/dpM4MYFjLP
— Tebow (@MinEffPodcast)July 01, 2025
Why bother making a sequel when Maximus died
— Trippyxo (@TriippyyXO)June 24, 2025
The last tweet just hit close to home. With the death of Maximus, it does seem that the sequel will have a hard time filling the legendary character’s void. With Mescal portraying the lead role of Lucius Verus, fans can only hope for the film’s success.
“They should’ve just made this a different movie”: Denzel Washington’s Gladiator 2 Plot Has Little Resemblance to Russell Crowe’s Original Classic That’s Hard to Deny
On the other hand, veteran actor Russell Crowe also revealed his frustration with the sequel. Nothing bad against the film, but the actor simply revealed that he was not happy, as he cannot be a part of the film since his character was already dead!
Gladiator IIIs Not Russell Crowe’s Place
As mentioned earlier, Crowe will not be a part of the upcoming Ridley Scott, and the actor is deeply saddened by this news. Althoughsome actors have tall claims aboutGladiator II,Russell Crowe revealed that he is just sad that he won’t be a part of the franchise anymore.
Portraying the role of Maximus Meridius in the original film, Crowe’s character found peace after killing Joaquin Phoenix’s Commodus at the end. On a recent episode ofKyle Meredith With… Podcast, here’s what theLes Misérableshad to say about the film.
I’m slightly uncomfortable, the fact that they’re making another one, you know? Because of course, I’m dead, and I have no say in what gets done. But a couple of the things I’ve heard, I’m like, ‘No, no, no, that’s not in the moral journey of that particular character.’ But I can’t say anything, it’s not my place, I’m six foot under. So we’ll see what that is like.
Well, Crowe’s words seem to add more fuel to the fire that the film might not turn out to be that good, compared to the OG movie. WithPaul Mescaland Denzel Washington in the lead roles,Gladiator IIis set for a release date of 28 June 2025 in theaters across the U.S.
“Would’ve been a fantastic experience”: Russell Crowe Will Have 1 Career Regret Despite Reigning Over Hollywood With Oscar Wins and Superhero Roles
On the other hand, Russell Crowe’s iconic 2000 film,Gladiator,was praised worldwide and won 5 Oscars upon its release. The 2000 film currently stands at a rating of 8.5/10 on IMDB and a whopping 80% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Gladiatoris available to stream on Paramount+ in the U.S.
Visarg Acharya
Senior Writer
Articles Published :3263
Visarg Acharya is a Senior Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on movies, with over 3000 articles published. He has been an entertainment journalist for the past three years and a copywriter at a corporation. Visarg usually covers news and theories on the MCU and the DCU, with an emphasis on Avengers and Superman; Game of Thrones, and more.A Tarantino fan, Visarg, spends his time critiquing various directors’ filmographies and watching them with curiosity. Medieval fantasy like The Lord of the Rings or sci-fi movies like Interstellar, watching the latest horror movies, and listening to Hans Zimmer become his comfort zone. When idle, he can be found reading fantasy novels with a terrible cup of coffee in hand.
