'Gladiator II' won't have a director's cut—here's why
Ridley Scott, famous for his long cuts or director's cuts of movies, has confirmed that there will be no director's cut for his upcoming film Gladiator II. Scott announced this during an interview with Collider's Steve Weintraub. Despite the excitement for a possible extended version of the sequel, considering Scott's history with movies like Gladiator and Blade Runner, the filmmaker said emphatically that he got the final cut this time and has "earned the right to have my final cut."
Scott's unique editing process revealed
During the interview, Scott also gave an insight into his unique editing process. He said, "I cut as I'm going, and I think it's valid to cut as you're going because you need to see how you're doing and how everyone's performing." This way, he can keep a check on how the final version of his films will turn out. Its runtime stands at two hours and 28 minutes.
'Gladiator II' star expressed interest in extended version
Interestingly, Paul Mescal, Gladiator II's lead actor, also shared his desire for an extended version of the film in the same interview. He will be playing Lucius, a character first seen as the son of Lucilla (Connie Nielsen) and Lucius Verus in the original Gladiator. Recent trailers have shown that Lucius is actually the son of Lucilla and Maximus (Russell Crowe), adding a new layer to his character's arc.
A quick look at Scott's history with director's cuts
Scott has a rich history of releasing alternate versions of his films. His 2023 film Napoleon, starring Joaquin Phoenix as the French Emperor, had a runtime of over two hours and 38 minutes but still had content left out. This resulted in a three-and-a-half-hour director's cut being released on Apple TV+. Similarly, his original Gladiator from 2000 also saw an extra 15 minutes added in a special cut. Gladiator II will hit Indian theaters on November 15.
