3. Gladiator
Gladiator was another film with a pretty closed finale. Maximus was a general that became a slave, who became a Gladiator that defied the rule of the Roman Empire and SPOILER ultimately succumbed to his wounds in a final confrontation with the Emperor in the coliseum. Sequel ideas were discussed and a few scripts even written but most were largely scrapped due to Russell Crowes request that Maximus be resurrected to fight again, a move that ultimately would damage the legacy of the film. One idea that was scrapped was to focus on the character of Lucius, the son of Maximus past lover Lucilla. The film would have been set fifteen years after the battle in the coliseum with Lucius discovering that Maximus was his actual Father. Ultimately this idea was scrapped once the producer realised that this plot would mean there would be little reason to return to the Gladiator arena that made the original film so successful. This is a story that could work better on television, in a show with similar levels of maturity as Game of Thrones crossed with the bloodthirsty action of the Spartacus series. Maybe in the series Lucius could befriend a Gladiator, similar to that of his Father, and through his guilt of having watched Maximus death could work to free this new Gladiator in a chance for redemption before he is slaughtered in battle. This could also be crossed with the political movements in the senate that followed Maximus death. This focus on legacy would be a welcome continuation that wouldnt disrespect the complete story of the film in a show that would seem right at home on HBO. Also seeing as nearly fifteen years have passed since the first film you could get the child actor who played Lucius in the film to return to the character as an adult!