The original: Russell Send Me Your Address So I Can Visit You And Explain My Passions Crowe pretty much made his career off the back of Gladiator. Ridley Scott's historical drama took some liberties with what actually happened in the lives of Roman gladiator Maximus and Roman Emperor Commodus, but for the most part it stuck to the facts. It also had Russell Crowe fighting CGI animals and yelling about entertainment, which is why it won Oscars and a huge box office return. The sequel: The first film didn't exactly leave much room for a sequel, what with Crowe's Maximus succumbing to a stab wound and dying in the sand. That didn't stop Crowe from personally commissioning a script for Gladiator 2, choosing his countryman and terrifying musician Nick Cave to pen it. Sure that it probably wouldn't get made, Cave made the most bat-poop insane follow up to Gladiator possible. Wanting to call it Gladiator 2: Christ Killer, Cave's script involved Maximus being resurrected after beating the crap out of the Roman gods, becoming immortal, and then fighting through time including interludes where he fought in the Crusades, the Vietnam War and winding up working at the Pentagon.
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
