Cost explosion for ‘Gladiator 2’: Ridley Scott’s historical epic would be significantly more expensive than planned

With Ridley Scott’s long-awaited sequel “Gladiator 2” we could expect another monumental film from the old school. Big emotions, clashing swords and impressive images – all this promises the sequel to the 2000 blockbuster ‘Gladiator’. But the filming is anything but peaceful: in addition to the problems caused by the big double strike in Hollywood last year, there were also reports of accidents on set and animal cruelty during filming. Now there’s a new problem that will likely cause stomach ache for those in charge at Paramount.

According to an article by According to reports, it appears as if the cost of the already expensive historical epic has exploded during filming. The blockbuster was originally expected to have a budget of $165 million, but that limit appears to have been significantly exceeded. While some Paramount insiders are talking about a figure of around $250 million, there are also voices saying that Ridley Scott’s latest film would currently have a production cost of a whopping $310 million.

The cost explosion can also be attributed to the strike

Some of the additional costs are probably caused by the consequences of the strike. The work stoppages cost production as much as $600,000 every week. In total, the damage is said to have amounted to approximately $10 million. Of course, it must be emphasized again that the information about the increased production costs are only rumors and not official figures.

However, if these hold true, “Gladiator 2” should be truly successful at the box office. “Fast & Furious 10” is a good comparison: the blockbuster is said to have cost $340 million to produce alone. These gigantic costs meant that even the box office result of 705 million dollars, which actually sounded quite impressive, was seen as a minor disappointment on the world market.

And that’s what Gladiator 2 is about

‘Gladiator 2’ takes place 15 years after the events of the original. The main character here will be the now adult Lucius (Paul Mescal), the son of Emperor’s sister Lucilla (Connie Nielsen). During his youth, he was very impressed by the exploits of the legendary Maximus (Russell Crowe) and now wants to follow in his footsteps.

Starring Paul Mescal, Joseph Quinn (“Stranger Things”) as Emperor Caracalla, Fred Hechinger (“The White Lotus”) as Emperor Geta, Derek Jacobi (“Euphoria”) as Senator Gracchus and Pedro Pascal (“The Last Of Us”) and Denzel Washington (“The Equalizer”) will be in attendance. However, Connie Nielsen will reprise her role as Lucilla from Part 1. However, there is (logically) no question of a reunion with Russell Crowe.

“Gladiator 2” is expected to be released in theaters nationwide on November 21, 2024.