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Gladiator III would take inspiration from The Godfather: Part II, says director Ridley Scott
Ridley Scott is already discussing after Gladiator III, but be warned: what he says will spoil the Gladiator sequel - and, we suppose, 1972's The Godfather
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Major spoilers for Gladiator II below!
After opening with $55.5M domestically, $50.5M internationally, Ridley Scott's follow-up on his 2000 historical Oscar-winner is, to borrow from Disney's Hercules, putting the glad in gladiator. So much so that Paramount Pictures might very well be considering yet another follow-up film, promoting the story to trilogy status. And if they do, there's another classic film trilogy that Ridley Scott's keeping an eye on for inspiration. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Scott is looking at The Godfather Part II in planning for a possible Gladiator III.
Let's give this some context. First of all, keep in mind that Gladiator III has absolutely NOT been greenlit by Paramount (or anyone) as of this writing, so don't go saying we broke news that we didn't. Now that that's over with, let's get into what Scott means in his comments, but before we do: this is your last chance to turn away before we tell you the ending of Gladiator II.
Still here? OK great.
How does Gladiator II end?
Gladiator II ends with Paul Mescal's Lucius absolutely voluptuous - er, victorious - over the primary antagonists of the film. Of course, he got some help defeating the hedonistic Emperors Geta and Caracalla (Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger, respectively) when the scheming Macrinus (Denzel Washington) orchestrated their deaths, but all of Macrinus's brilliance couldn't overcome Lucius's will. At the end, Lucius finds himself in the seat of power, his victory assured and his triumph gluteus.
Er, glorious.
What does Gladiator III have to do with The Godfather Part II?
Because a great filmmaker can't help but think of great films, the whole scanario reminds Ridley Scott of the end of The Godfather, as he explained to THR like this:
"There’s already an idea [...] I always had this idea that The Godfather ends with Michael not wanting the job. He sits there, and there’s this push-in on Al. He’s already had his hand kissed. He’s betrayed his wife with lies. [Lucius] isn’t quite that evil at all. He’s wondering, ‘Father, what do I do?’ Paul not wanting the job is a good place to start."
So what shape is that idea in? Well, Scott told TotalFilm this past October that there are currently 8 pages written in a first draft of Gladiator III, which Scott called "the beginning of a very good footprint." Ultimately, though, we know that work on a potential cap to what would be the Gladiator trilogy won't begin in earnest until Paramount (or some other lucky studio) gives Gladiator III the greenlight. But hey, if The Godfather got a trilogy, aren't the odds in favor of Gladiator doing the same?
What can we say? America loves watching Italians rise to the top. Just look at Super Mario.
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