Mescal’s Lucius is a significant character since he is actuallythe son of Crowe’s Maximus from the firstGladiatormovie.
Lucius' arc inGladiator IIis very similar to Maximus' in the first film.
Crowe’s Maximus instantly became an iconic character, but he unfortunately died at the end ofGladiator.
Therefore,it wasn’t surprising when it was revealed that Crowe would not appear inGladiator II.
However, showing Maximus' hand at theend ofGladiator IIsets up Crowe’s return as Maximus inGladiator 3perfectly.
Afterwards,he returns to the empty Colosseum and asks his father to speak to him.
Custom Image by Max Ruscinski
The film then shows a hand grazing the stalks of grain in a field.
This shot is very similar to an iconic shot of Maximus from the firstGladiatormovie.
While his face is not shown in the scene, the hand at the end ofGladiator IIbelongs to Maximus.
Gladiator 2 is the follow-up to Ridley Scott’s award-winning film Gladiator from 2000. Scott returns to direct the sequel, with Paul Mescal staring as Lucius, alongside Denzel Washington and Joseph Quinn as the villain Emperor Geta. Gladiator 2 had been stuck in development hell for years before a script written by David Scarpa finally moved forward.
Therefore, it would make perfect sense for Crowe to return as Maximus inGladiator 3and have a larger role.
However, director Ridley Scott and the writers ofGladiator IIchose to include the scene.
Therefore, like it or not,Crowe’s return as Maximus inGladiator 3has now been directly set up.
SinceGladiator IImade sure Lucius and Maximus were so closely connected,Gladiator 3cannot erase their bond.
Since Lucius is inspired byMarcus Aurelius' dream of Rome, this would make sense.
Would Russell Crowe Actually Return For Gladiator 3 After Being Left Out Of Gladiator 2?
However, Crowe reprising his role inGladiator 3would draw many more people to theaters to see the film.
Crowe is still a very active actor in Hollywood and consistently appears in new movies.
