Gladiator 3 in development with Lucius at center, says Ridley Scott

Ridley Scott said in recent interviews that a third Gladiator film is now in development, signaling that the director who revived the Roman epic with a 2024 sequel is already moving the franchise forward. The 87 year old filmmaker described Gladiator 3 as "in process right now" and indicated that the project would continue the story established in Gladiator II, which centers on Paul Mescal's Lucius as a rising figure in Rome.

Scott has previously outlined a loose production order that would place another Gladiator entry after several of his other projects. He told reporters he planned to film the third Gladiator after completing his adaptation of The Dog Stars and a long-gestating Bee Gees biopic. That timeline has shifted: The Dog Stars has been shot, the Bee Gees film has been delayed, and Scott has set up a new Battle of Britain war picture by Joe Penhall as his next feature. Those changes mean the exact start date for Gladiator 3 remains uncertain, but Scott said he already has narrative ideas for the sequel, drawing inspiration in part from the character-driven arc of The Godfather and musing on Lucius's reluctance to assume power.

Mescal, who plays Lucius and is widely...