Gladiator 2 In The Works With A New Main Character

A sequel to Ridley Scott's 2000 epic Gladiator is on the way, it appears.

According to reports from Deadline and other sites, Scott is returning in some capacity for the sequel, which is said to follow the story of the character Lucius, who is the son of Lucilla (played by Connie Nielsen in the 2000 film) and the nephew of Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix).

Russell Crowe's starring character, Maximus, died at the end of the earlier movie. Lucius the character was said to be heavily affected by the actions and moral character of Maximus.

According to Deadline, Scott is eager to direct the new Gladiator, while The Town and Hunger Games writer Peter Craig is said to be attached as a writer. Musician Nick Cave wrote a script for Gladiator 2 in which Maximus was a time-traveler, but it appears the studio wanted to go in a different direction. The original film was produced by DreamWorks, but Paramount is stepping in for the sequel.

2000's Gladiator was a huge hit. It picked up more than 10 Oscar nominations and won five, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Russell Crowe. The movie made more than $460 million at the box office.

It sounds like very early days for Gladiator 2, or whatever it ends up being called. As of yet, there are no other details available about the cast, story, or timeline for its release.