Gladiator 2 (2024)

The first ideas to film a sequel to Gladiator were announced in June 2001. There was talk of a prequel or a sequel; the screenwriter, as in the first Gladiator, could have been David Franzoni. In 2002, it was announced that work on a sequel would begin, based on a script by John Logan. The film was supposed to take place 15 years later: Rome was then ruled by the Praetorians, Lucius was trying to find out the truth about his biological father. Franzoni signed on to produce the project alongside Douglas Wick and Walter Parkes. In December 2002, it became known that the film would show both earlier events in relation to the first Gladiator, concerning the origin of Lucius, and later ones, in which the resurrected Maximus would take part. The producers and Russell Crowe intended to build the action in accordance with ancient Roman ideas about the afterlife. By September 2003, the script was completed, Ridley Scott confirmed that Lucius would become the central character of the film.