Russell Crowe is sick of being asked about Gladiator 2: "They should be f***ing paying me"

Russell Crowe had a hilarious response to being asked about Ridley Scott’s upcoming sequel Gladiator 2. The actor played the lead role of Maximus Decimus Meridius in the original film, but won’t be reprising his role for (ahem) obvious reasons.

"They should be fucking paying me for the amount of questions I am asked about a film I am not even in," Crowe told journalists at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival (H/T Variety). "It has nothing to do with me. In that world, I am dead. Six feet under. But I do admit to a certain tinge of jealousy, because it reminds me of when I was younger and what it meant for me, in my life."

The actor continued: "I don’t know anything about the cast, I don’t know anything about the plot. I am dead! But I know that if Ridley has decided to do a second part of the story, over 20 years later, he must have had very strong reasons. I can’t think of this movie being anything other than spectacular."

The upcoming sequel is set years after the original and follows Lucius, the nephew of Commodus as a grown man. He’ll be played by Normal People and Aftersun star Paul Mescal, who will be joined by other supporting cast members including Denzel Washington, Joseph Quinn, Pedro Pascal, and May Calamawy.

Connie Nielsen will also be back as Lucilla, Lucius’ mother, and Derek Jacobi as Senator Gracchus. Filming on the new movie began in June 2023 and it’s currently got a release date of November 22, 2024.

For more upcoming movies, check out all of the 2023 movie release dates we know so far.

I’m the Deputy Entertainment Editor here at GamesRadar+, covering TV and film for the Total Film and SFX sections online. I previously worked as a Senior Showbiz Reporter and SEO TV reporter at Express Online for three years. I've also written for The Resident magazines and Amateur Photographer, before specializing in entertainment.