Get the latest gossip

Ridley Scott Says Russell Crowe Once Asked to Star in Gladiator II: 'I Want to Come Back from the Dead'

Director Ridley Scott tells PEOPLE that Russell Crowe wanted to return for 'Gladiator II,' despite his character's death in the original. 'I want come back from the dead,' Scott recalls Crowe telling him.

As legendary filmmaker Ridley Scott tells PEOPLE, the New Zealand star, who won the Best Actor Oscar in 2001 for his performance in the first film, was eager to somehow factor into GladiatorII despite his character Maximus's death at the end of the original. Crowe expressed feeling FOMO after not being included in the sequel, previously telling Collider he was "slightly jealous" because, looking back, "I was a much younger man, obviously, and it was a huge experience in my life." Director Scott then said, "I’ll add to that: Why would Roger Moore call up Sean Connery [for a James Bond movie]?

Get the Android app