RUSSELL CROWE SLAMS GLADIATOR SEQUEL AS HE EXPLAINS HOW THEY MISSED THE MARK

Russell Crowe has expressed his disappointment in Ridley Scott’s 2024 sequel to the Oscar-winning Gladiator.

The 61-year-old picked up an Academy Award for his role as Maximus in the 2000 blockbuster, which brought in almost half a billion dollars at the box office.

24 years later, Paul Mescal took on the leading role for the sequel, playing Lucius, the nephew of Emperor Commodus in the first film — who is subsequently revealed to be Maximus’ son.

Despite the sequel being well received among the general public, with the opening weeks of it in cinemas raking in €3,864,194 on the island of Ireland, the same can’t be said for the original Gladiator, Crowe.

Speaking recently to Australian outlet Triple J, the actor shared his thoughts on how the sequel missed the mark.

Refraining from naming the movie, but blatantly referring to Gladiator 2, Russell said: ‘I think the recent sequel that, you know we don’t have to name out loud, is a really unfortunate example of even the people in that engine room not actually understanding what made the first one special.

‘It wasn’t the pomp. It wasn’t the circumstance. It wasn’t the action. It was the moral core.’

The award-winning star added that there was a ‘daily fight’ on the set of the original movie.

‘It was a daily fight to keep that moral core of the character,’ he explained, ‘The amount of times they suggested sex scenes and stuff like that for Maximus, it’s like, you’re taking away his power.

‘But what are you talking about? So you’re saying at the same time he had this relationship with his wife he was f***ng this other girl? What are you talking about? It’s crazy.

‘The women in Europe when this movie started coming out. I would be at a restaurant and they’d come talk to me and go, “What’s going on?” It’s like, “Hey, it wasn’t me! I didn’t do it!”

Ahead of the release of the sequel, Crowe expressed his concerns, admitting he was ‘slightly uncomfortable’ that a follow-up was being made.

‘A couple of things I’ve heard I’m like, “No, no, no, that’s not in the moral journey of that particular character.” But I can’t say anything, it’s not my place, I’m “six foot under.” So we’ll see what it’s like.’

2025-12-10T10:52:00Z