Gladiator was released in 2000, but director Ridley Scott didn’t get around to bringing Gladiator II into the world until 2024. Don’t expect another lengthy wait before the next sequel arrives, though. Scott was already talking about plans for Gladiator III before the second film’s opening weekend – and in a new interview, he confirmed that the third film is “in process”! He also weighed the possibility of making another Alien prequel and looked back on the time when he turned down a $20 million offer to direct Terminator 3.
Scott has previously said that he is taking inspiration from Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather saga, particularly as it relates to the central character’s arc, as he moves ahead with Gladiator III. As he told The Hollywood Reporter, “There’s already an idea. I always had this idea that The Godfather ends with Michael not wanting the job. He sits there, and there’s this push-in on Al. He’s already had his hand kissed. He’s betrayed his wife with lies. [Lucius] isn’t quite that evil at all. He’s wondering, ‘Father, what do I do?’ Paul not wanting the job is a good place to start.” For his part, Paul Mescal – who plays Lucius, son to murdered father Maximus – has said he is “massively down” for a Gladiator III. During an interview with The Guardian, Scott was asked if there will be a Gladiator III, and he answered, “Gladiator is in process right now.“
If handed the chance to make a prequel to the original Alien, most filmmakers probably would have crafted a story that would lead right into the events of that first film. But when Alien director Ridley Scott decided to return to the franchise to make a prequel, he went further back in time than expected to tell the story of Prometheus (who would have ever guessed it would be tied to the creation of humanity?), and planned to bridge the gap between Prometheus and Alien with a couple more prequel movies. So far he has only managed to make one of those follow-ups, Alien: Covenant, and whether or not he’ll get to make another one remains to be seen. During an interview with the Los Angeles Times a few years ago, he made it clear that he was still pondering the questions that he wants to answer in the next prequel: “I still think there’s a lot of mileage in ALIEN, but I think you’ll have to now re-evolve. What I always thought when I was making it, the first one, why would a creature like this be made and why was it traveling in what I always thought was a kind of war-craft, which was carrying a cargo of these eggs. What was the purpose of the vehicle and what was the purpose of the eggs? That’s the thing to question — who, why, and for what purpose is the next idea, I think.” He has also said that he wanted to focus more on AI and the evil android David (Michael Fassbender) in the next film, delving into “the world that the AI might create as a leader if he finds himself onto a new planet.” He also wanted to have Katherine Waterston and Danny McBride return as their Alien: Covenant characters.
Even though Scott has discussed what he wanted to do with another Alien prequel, it doesn’t sound like he ever got very far with the planning. Asked if there will be another prequel, he said, “Another Alien prequel – yeah, if I get an idea, for sure.“
From movies Scott might make, we move on to one he didn’t make: the 2003 film Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines. Asked if he really considered directing that film, Scott answered, “I’m proud about this. I turned down a $20m fee. See, I can’t be bought, dude. Someone said: “Ask what Arnie gets.” I thought: “I’ll try it out.” I said: “I want what Arnie gets.” When they said yes, I thought: “F*ck me.” But I couldn’t do it. It’s not my thing. It’s like doing a Bond movie. The essence of a Bond movie is fun and camp. Terminator is pure comic strip. I would try to make it real. That’s why they’ve never asked me to do a Bond movie, because I could f*ck it up.” Terminator 3 ended up being directed by Jonathan Mostow.
Would you like to see Ridley Scott make Gladiator III, another Alien prequel, and/or a Terminator or James Bond movie? Share your thoughts on what Scott had to say by leaving a comment below.
