Ridley Scott says script of the long-awaited Gladiator sequel is being 'written now'

Ridley Scott, who helmed the 2000 historical drama Gladiator, recently shared an update on the long-awaited sequel. 

In an interview with Empire magazine, Scott confirmed that the script of the follow-up is being "written now", and will be "ready to go" once he has wrapped the Napolean movie Kitbag.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Gladiator 2 was announced in 2018. The plot will focus on Lucius, the young son of Lucilla (Connie Nielson) and nephew to Commodus' (Joaquin Phoenix). In the film, he was rescued from his power-hungry and hateful uncle by Russell Crowe’s Maximus. 

The outlet adds that producers Walter F Parkes and Laurie MacDonald had also unveiled that the story will take 25 years after the events of the original. Top Gun: Maverick screenwriter Peter Craig is penning the script. 

Gladiator, a Dreamworks and Universal Pictures co-production, earned over $400 million worldwide, making it among the highest grossing films of that year. The epic drama also bagged 11 Oscar nominations and multiple wins including Best Picture and Best Actor for Crowe. 

Meanwhile, Kitbag with Phoenix as the French emperor, is among Scott's upcoming projects after The Last Duel, headlined by Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Jodie Comer, and Adam Driver. The makers announced the India release date (October 22) today. 

Comer will also be seen in Kitbag as Josephine. Scott's other film is the Lady Gaga and Driver-led biographical crime drama, House of Gucci. The MGM picture is based on Sara Gay Forden's book The House of Gucci: A Sensational Story of Murder, Madness, Glamour, and Greed. Also part of the cast are Salma Hayek, Jeremy Irons, Jared Leto and Al Pacino.