The Moment Ridley Scott Knew He Wanted to Direct Gladiator
Ridley Scott reveals the exact moment he knew that he wanted to direct Gladiator. Released in 2000, Gladiator tells the story of a Roman general named Maximus (Russell Crowe) who is betrayed by the Emperor's son and sold into slavery, ultimately becoming a gladiatorial warrior. The film was a hit both critically and financially and remains one of the most celebrated films of Scott's prolific career.
Before undertaking Gladiator, Scott was well known for his directorial work on 1979's Alien, 1982's Blade Runner, 1991's Thelma and Louis, and 1997's G.I. Jane, among many others. Since completing Gladiator, Scott has continued to work regularly as both a producer and director with The Last Duel and House of Gucci being his most recent efforts. Although it was released more than twenty years ago now, talk of a sequel to Gladiator has persisted ever since the original film came out. Scott recently confirmed that a script for the film is finally done and that he plans to shoot Gladiator 2 likely following his next film, a Napoleon biopic.
Related: Why Gladiator's Final Fight Is So Short (& Why That's Perfect)
In a recent interview with Deadline, Scott reveals exactly what it was that drew him to Gladiator in the first place. According to Scott, it wasn't the script that interested him, – in fact, he recalls thinking it wasn't very good – but a painting of a violent scene in the Coliseum that accompanied the script that ultimately won him over. Check out Scott's full comment below:
«First of all, I love doing period films. I love the research. I love to create sort of smells of the period. I think what we did with the first Gladiator…I don’t like being critical of other things that have happened before, but I wasn’t the biggest
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