Gladiator star Russell Crowe has said that he is a bit uncomfortable about Ridley Scott making a second part to the Oscar-winning 2000 film. The 2000 original stars Crowe as Maximus Decimus Meridius, a character that helped the actor secure a Best Actor Oscar the following year. The sequel stars Paul Mescal, best known for Normal People, in the role of Lucius Verus, who is the grandson of erstwhile emperor Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris).

Speaking on the Kyle Meredith With... podcast, Crowe stated, "I’m slightly uncomfortable, the fact that they’re making another one, you know? Because of course, I’m dead, and I have no say in what gets done. A couple of things that I’ve heard, I’m like, ‘No, no, no. That’s not in the moral journey of that particular character.’ But you know, I can’t say anything. That’s not my place. I’m six feet under. So we’ll see what that is like."

He added that the upcoming sequel has made him think about his career as an actor so far.

“I reflect back on the age I was when I made that film and all the things that came after it and the doors that particular movie opened for me,” Crowe stated. “So there’s definitely a tinge — and this is just being purely honest — a tinge of melancholy, a tinge of jealousy. Because I remember when I had tendons.”

Crowe's upcoming films include The Exorcism, Kraven the Hunter, a historical film titled Nuremberg, and a Mark Rothko biopic christened Rothko. On the other hand, Scott's forthcoming projects as a producer include Alien: Romulus and A Sacrifice.