10 Times Movies Changed Real Life For Being Too Unbelievable

With his Best Picture-winning historical epic Gladiator, director Ridley Scott sought to portray the Roman Empire in more authentic terms than prior cinematic forays, and brought in noted historians to aid with this quest.

However, Scott also felt compelled to dispense with the truth in some cases due to his perception that audiences simply wouldn't accept everything presented as it is generally believed to have happened.

One of the more curious omissions was the script's original depiction of the gladiators as almost wrestler-like superstars, who would even take part in celebrity endorsements in the arena.

This was, believe it or not, completely true to the era, but Scott felt that modern viewers would scoff at it for being unrealistic and "contemporary", and so he had it removed from the script.

Ultimately Scott deviated enough from historical fact that several historians either resigned from the film or asked not to be credited in any way, and while Gladiator is certainly filled with half-truths and anachronisms, does that make it any less entertaining a movie? Absolutely not.

Be honest - back in 2000, would you have been able to take gladiator endorsements in this movie even remotely seriously?