10 Beloved Movie Legacies At Risk Of Being Ruined Forever

To much surprise, a third Gladiator film is confirmed by Sir Ridley Scott himself to be in the works, and it begs the question: why? And where do we go from here?  

Only one man knows the answers to these posing questions, of course - that'd be Scott - and it's safe to say that he has more than earned the right to turn his Gladiator pictures into a trilogy. With Paul Mescal's Lucius expected to be crowned emperor of Rome, and an abundance of history for Scott to draw inspiration from, he isn't exactly short of options.  

However, that doesn't necessarily mean that Gladiator III should happen, and although Gladiator II isn't terrible, per se, it's by no means brilliant either. Gladiator II is undeniably underwhelming when compared to the original, and with this trajectory in mind, the risk of ruining Gladiator's legacy with another disappointing sequel isn't worth the gamble.

That could well be due to Gladiator II suffering from its predecessor's staggering success. Still, it doesn't exactly cover itself in glory due to some questionable casting, narrative, and historical decisions, although the latter is nothing new when it comes to Ridley Scott's work. 

Fans wanting a third and presumably final Gladiator film have more than enough evidence at hand that shows it can work, bearing in mind Sir Ridley's approach to legacy sequels and, indeed, prequels. Still, considering the sheer gulf in quality between Gladiator and Gladiator II, warnings should be heeded and expectations should be tempered.