Russell Crowe’s Shocking ‘Gladiator 2’ Cameo That Almost Happened!

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As a die-hard fan eagerly awaiting the premiere of “Gladiator II”, there had been tantalizing whispers about the potential return of Russell Crowe as Maximus. It appeared that, at some stage, a fleeting flashback scene involving Crowe’s character was penned into an early draft of the script, but it ultimately didn’t find its way into the final version.

In a conversation with The Direct, Peter Craig, one of the writers for Gladiator II, provided additional details on the intended sequence of events, yet ultimately leaving it out was the best choice. To put it simply, he felt that its removal was the correct decision.

In an earlier version of my work, I introduced a concept that Romans believed they could communicate with their deceased ancestors. They had extensive underground burial sites beneath their cities, known as catacombs, where people’s urns, ashes, and bones were kept. In this scene, Lucius discovers it is his father who lies buried, so he ventures into the catacombs. A quick flashback with Russell was intended to depict a moment from their shared past.

It appears they chose wisely by not implementing their chosen option. However, during our collaboration with Ridley [Scott], I was deeply involved for quite some time before leaving to work on this project instead. Essentially, I presented them with a vast array of options, and they picked certain items from it. In my opinion, they omitted several key aspects that should have been included.

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2025-03-11 18:32