Ridley Scott to direct Gladiator 2; Hunger Games: Mockingjay writer Peter Craig to pen script

Eighteen years after the original film wowed audiences worldwide, Gladiator director Ridley Scott has started production on a sequel to the Oscar-winning period drama. Variety reports Gladiator 2 will follow the story of Lucius, the son of Connie Nielsen’s Lucilla and the nephew of Joaquin Phoenix’s Commodus, the Roman emperor killed by Russell Crowe’s Maximus. [caption id=“attachment_5492271” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] Russell Crowe in a promotional still of Gladiator. Image via Twitter[/caption] Gladiator won five Oscars at the 2001 Academy Awards, including Best Picture. The film also won Crowe an Oscar for his portrayal of Maximus, the general who defied an emperor and became a warrior slave. Peter Craig, who wrote the screenplay for The Town and the final parts of The Hunger Games films, will penning the script for Gladiator 2. He is currently working on another much-anticipated sequel — the Tom Cruise-starrer Top Gun: Maverick. The Gladiator sequel is in early stages of development, with Paramount currently in negotiations to land the project. Scott’s last release was the kidnap drama All the Money in the World, which underwent last-minute reshoots to replace Kevin Spacey after allegations of sexual misconduct. Scott’s other films include notable titles like Alien and Thelma and Louise. The 80-year-old filmmaker was even honoured with the BAFTA Fellowship at the British academy awards ceremony earlier this year.