Gladiator 2: Ridley Scott says sequel will be ready to go after his Napoleon movie

It’s been over twenty years since Ridley Scott first unleashed hell with Gladiator and it seems that the director is almost ready to move forward with the long-in-development sequel. Gladiator 2 has been in the works for quite some time with multiple scripts taking the story in some rather bizarre directions, but it seems that we will actually be returning to Rome sooner rather than later.

While speaking with Empire, Ridley Scott said that he’ll be ready to dive into Gladiator 2 once he completes work on Kitbag, his Napoleon movie starring Joaquin Phoenix and Jodie Comer.

I’m already having [the next] Gladiator written now. So when I’ve done Napoleon, Gladiator will be ready to go.

It was reported back in 2018 that Peter Craig (The Town) would be writing the Gladiator 2 script which would take place 25-30 years after the first film and continue the story of Lucius, the son of Lucilla (Connie Nielson) and the nephew of Commodus, who, in the 2000 film, was greatly influenced by Maximus (Crowe).

Before tackling Gladiator 2, Ridley Scott will set his sights on Kitbag. The Napoleon film will be an “original and personal look at Napoleon’s origins and his swift, ruthless climb to emperor, viewed through the prism of his addictive and often volatile relationship with his wife and one true love, Josephine. While the intention of the film is to capture Napoleon’s famous battles, ambition and strategic mind, the love story he had with Josephine is just as important to the origins and way the great military leader was.” Joaquin Phoenix will star as Napoleon with Jodie Comer playing Josephine. “The thing that really makes Napoleon tick is, why was he in so much need of Josephine?” Scott told Empire. “There was a need for each other. And we think we’ve pinpointed what that was.“

Ridley Scott’s next film will be The Last Duel, which will hit theaters on October 15, 2021, followed by House of Gucci on November 24, 2021.