'Gladiator 2' Moving Forward With Ridley Scott

Director Ridley Scott is heading back to the arena for a sequel to his Oscar-winning 2000 film, Gladiator.

According to a report from Deadline, Scott has "begun forward progress" on a sequel to the Russell Crowe-starring Gladiator, which won five Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Actor in a Leading Role. The Town and Hunger Games writer Peter Craig will be writing the Gladiator sequel, and the intention is for Scott to direct.

Despite the fact that Crowe's leading character Maximus died at the end of the movie, the sequel will still continue the same story. This movie will follow Lucius, the son of Lucilla (Connie Nielsen). If you recall, Lucius was also related to the film's villain, Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix), the son of Roman leader Marcus Aurelius. Before Maximus died, he saved the lives of Lucius and Lucilla, which left a strong impression on the boy.

It looks like DreamWorks, the studio who produced the original Gladiator, is out of the picture now. Paramount will be the studio developing the sequel, and Universal will once again distribute. Scott Free, Ridley Scott's production company, will be leading the project.

As of now, there is no potential release date for Gladiator 2, and it will be difficult to predict given the multitude of Scott's upcoming projects. The filmmaker is currently directing the TV series Raised By Wolves for TNT. He's also attached to feature film projects like the Merlin origin film at Disney, and the Scarlett Johansson-starring drama about photojournalist Lyndsey Addario. There's no telling where Gladiator 2 could fall in Scott's upcoming schedule.

While Gladiator won a total of five Academy Awards, it was nominated for 11 total. The film went on to gross $187 million at the domestic box office, and $460 million worldwide.

Do you think Gladiator needs a sequel? Will you watch the movie when it arrives? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!