Further details on “Gladiator 2” have remained under wraps since those updates, but now Ridley Scott told Empire magazine ahead of the release of “The Last Duel” that the next “Gladiator” movie is on his docket for right after the Napoleon epic “Kitbag.” That project, which will star Joaquin Phoenix as the French emperor, was first announced in October 2020.
“I’m already having [the next] ‘Gladiator’ written now,” Scott said. “So when I’ve done Napoleon, ‘Gladiator’ will be ready to go.” The Napoleon epic is on Scott’s immediate to-do list following the back-to-back releases of “The Last Duel” and “House of Gucci” this fall. Starring opposite Phoenix is Jodie Comer as Josephine. The “Killing Eve” Emmy winner earned raves out of Venice for her performance in “The Last Duel” and will reunite with Scott for “Kitbag.” “The thing that really makes Napoleon tick is, why was he in so much need of Josephine?” Scott told Empire about the Napoleon movie. “There was a need for each other. And we think we’ve pinpointed what that was.” Production on “Gladiator 2” was originally going to “happen very quickly” but Scott got busy with the HBO Max television series “Raised by Wolves” and the features “Last Duel” and “House of Gucci.” The sequel is taking shape at Paramount, which brought on screenwriter Craig after he helped work on Tom Cruise’s “Top Gun: Maverick.” Craig’s other credits include Ben Affleck’s drama “The Town,” “12 Strong,” and the two-part “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay.” Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.
