Gladiator 2 Should Have Done One Major Thing The Same As Wicked

Gladiator II should have been split into two parts, just like Wicked was. The story of Gladiator II being expanded across two movies would have served the characters better, and allowed the second film to more properly set up the potential Gladiator 3. Releasing the two Gladiator sequels closer to each other also would have better established the series as a proper franchise, and would have built significantly more hype for the third film after the ending of Gladiator II.

Leading up to the simultaneous release of Gladiator II and Wicked, fans were referring to the event as "Glicked," which is reminiscent of 2023's "Barbenheimer." Even though Gladiator II is a sequel to the popular 2000 film starring Russell Crowe, Wicked performed significantly better at the box office and has a lot more buzz heading into awards season. One of the reasons people are talking about Wicked more is because the sequel, Wicked: For Good, is releasing next year. Therefore, Gladiator II should have also had a "Part 2" to ensure that it would remain culturally relevant for longer.

Gladiator 2 & Gladiator 3 Should Have Been A Two-Part Movie Like Wicked

Gladiator 2's Story Should Have Been Stretched Across Two Movies

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Gladiator 3 hasn't officially been confirmed to be in development, but director Ridley Scott has suggested that he is really interested in making a third movie. Clearly, Scott saw potential in the series beyond just Gladiator II. If this was the case, then Gladiator II and Gladiator 3 should have been written together, or an overarching story should have at least been mapped out, so that the two movies feel more connected to each other.

Related Maximus' Gladiator 2 "Return" Means Russell Crowe Must Be In Gladiator 3 Now Gladiator 3 has no choice but to feature Russell Crowe's return as Maximus after teasing his hand at the end of the long-awaited second film.

As it stands, it seems like only Paul Mescal's Lucius will return for Gladiator 3, as basically every other major Gladiator II character died. It will be exciting to see Lucius onscreen again, but since all the other characters are dead, the story of Gladiator 3 will be completely separate from Gladiator II. If Gladiator 3 was always a strong possibility for Scott and his team, then more characters should have survived the second film. This is not the case, however, so Gladiator 3 will have to develop brand-new characters, which is something that Gladiator II didn't always excel at.

Gladiator 2's Reviews Critique Underdeveloped Characters

Gladiator 2's Characters Had Potential But Were Underdeveloped

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While reviews for Gladiator II have been respectable, the film hasn't been nearly as adored as its predecessor, 2000's Gladiator. One of the main critiques of Gladiator II is that many of the characters in the movie are underdeveloped. There are several intriguing characters in Gladiator II, such as Pedro Pascal's General Acacius, Connie Nielsen's Lucilla, and Denzel Washington's Macrinus, but none of them get enough attention to be fully fleshed out.

Perhaps Gladiator II could have ended after General Acacius dies in the Colosseum, and Gladiator 3 could have seen Macrinus rise to power.

Even Mescal's Lucius struggles to be an intriguing character among a star-studded cast. In his review, Richard Lawson from Vanity Fair wrote that Lucius "gets lost in the shuffle, becoming less of a character than another mere piece on the game board." More screen time across two movies could have helped improve the characters that were introduced in Gladiator II. Perhaps Gladiator II could have ended after General Acacius dies in the Colosseum, and Gladiator 3 could have seen Macrinus rise to power. Instead, Gladiator 3 will probably just enlist several new A-listers to join Mescal.

Gladiator 3 Will Have The Same Problem That Gladiator 2 Did

Gladiator 3 Will Likely Repeat Gladiator 2's Mistakes

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Since Gladiator 3 will probably introduce several new characters just to kill them in the same movie, it will most likely face the same problem that Gladiator II did. Introducing so many new characters will take time away from Lucius, and make it so that none of the characters get enough attention. If it had been set up as an overall story that spans across two movies, this problem could have been avoided.

Related If You Thought Gladiator 2 Was Historically Inaccurate, Just Wait Until Gladiator 3 Gladiator 3 is unlikely to be any more historically accurate than Gladiator 2, with Lucius set up to fight a more political battle for Rome's future.

Overall, Gladiator 3 is yet another sequel that doesn't need to happen. There is a lot of potential in the Gladiator franchise, but the films will never be as good as the original if they are not properly planned out. It seems like Gladiator 3 is destined to repeat the mistake that Gladiator II made. While it will likely be a very entertaining and ambitious movie, it is almost a certainty that Gladiator 3 won't be nearly as good as the original Gladiator film.

Source: Vanity Fair