Gladiator: Ridley Scott says Joaquin Phoenix threatened to quit original film

Gladiator director Ridley Scott says he had to e book Joaquin Phoenix to stick with it the first movie, after the Joker star threatened to prevent.

Phoenix, 50, performed the harmful Roman emperor Commodus within the first movie, and used to be nominated for an Oscar for his performance.

Scott told The New York Times: “[Joaquin] used to be in his prince’s outfit announcing, ‘I’m able to not get it’ – I mentioned, ‘What?’ And Russell [Crowe] mentioned, ‘Here is amazingly unprofessional’.”

The 86-year-used filmmaker mentioned he used his closeness to Phoenix to e book him to stick with it.

“I’m able to act as a huge brother or dad. But I’m fairly a pal of Joaquin’s. Gladiator used to be a baptism of fireplace for both of us at the initiating,” he mentioned.

Scott and Phoenix also labored collectively in 2023 on ancient movie Napoleon, thru which Phoenix starred because the capricious French general.

Gladiator II picks up twenty years after the authentic movie, which picked up four Oscars.

It marks Paul Mescal‘s first big studio movie, playing Roman warrior Lucius Verus, who can be Maximus’s secret son, and slightly one character within the authentic movie.

Mescal has previously mentioned Scott supplied him the role after an informal assembly of round half of-an-hour.

Russell Crowe: ‘A tinge of jealousy’

But the sequel doesn’t characteristic Australian actor Russell Crowe, who won an Oscar for his starring usual performance in 2000, nonetheless whose character died at the tip of the first movie.

Scott told The New York Times, whereas there had been discussions with Crowe about the most likely for bringing his character aid from the monotonous, indirectly it did not determine.

Crowe told Sky Files this summer season: “I get used. That is how I get about it… That duration of my lifestyles, you realize, used to be a substantial commerce. All the pieces true went extra or much less loopy for a whereas.

“I get agree with extraordinarily fond reminiscences of [Gladiator]. And, to be fully elegant, there is a tinge of jealousy on epic of I no doubt wish I was aid at being, you realize, 35, 36, in a particular draw, so I could per chance per chance maybe also agree with that extra or much less journey again.”

Sky Files has contacted Phoenix and Crowe for comment.

Scott also revealed Barry Keoghan had first and fundamental been slated to appear within the sequel as a villain, nonetheless a clash with the filming of Saltburn ruled him out of the role.

Gladiator II also stars Pedro Pascal, Denzel Washington, Connie Nielsen and Sir Derek Jacobi. It is out in UK cinemas on Friday 15 November.