According to helmer Ridley Scott, 'Gladiator' star Russell Crowe initially wanted to reincarnate his character of Maximus in a proposed sequel.

Ridley Scott reveals plans for 'Gladiator III,' promising a storyline that explores Lucius's reluctant rise to power.

Gladiator II, the sequel to Ridley Scott’s 2000 blockbuster Gladiator, was released in the US on November 22. On Rotten Tomatoes, the critics gave it an above-average 72% rating, while the audience rating stands at a strong 84%.

Gladiator II' will hit theaters 24 years after the first film came out (2000) and won five Oscars the following year.

Crowe doesn’t return for this long-anticipated follow-up (his character died in the original), but his mythic character still looms large in Gladiator II, which stars a beefed-up Paul Mescal as Lucius, Maximus’ son with Lucilla (Connie Nielsen, making a welcome return).

Now, director Ridley Scott is returning to ancient Rome with the long-awaited sequel, "Gladiator II" which hits theaters Friday. The film stars Denzel Washington, Connie Nielsen, and Pedro Pascal in a story set in the same brutal Roman Empire —one that didn't leave Scott's mind in the years since its first release.

Watch Ridley Scott and 16 of his department heads discuss 'Gladiator II' in a video taken from their all-guild Q&A at Paramount.

Nearly 25 years after the original "Gladiator" won five Academy Awards, Ridley Scott returns with "Gladiator II," out today. Elizabeth Palmer speaks with the director about bringing his epic vision back to life.

It feels appropriate that Gladiator II should start with a highly symbolic callback to the original film. The 2000 sword-and-sandal epic opened with the now-iconic image of Russell Crowe's fallen warrior Maximus running his hand through a field of wheat.