Overview
- Speaking on Australia’s Triple J, Crowe said the filmmakers “didn’t understand what made the first one special” and pointed to the story’s “moral core.”
- He recalled fighting daily during the 2000 production to preserve Maximus’ loyalty, rejecting proposed sex scenes as undermining the character.
- Crowe reiterated that neither Ridley Scott nor the sequel’s team contacted him for input before release.
- He said fans approached him to complain after the 2024 film opened, emphasizing he had no involvement.
- Gladiator II, led by Paul Mescal with Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal and Connie Nielsen, grossed about $462 million worldwide and drew mixed reviews with one Oscar nomination.