Ridley Scott has made a living with his highly concentrated visual style in movies. A perfect example of Scott’s unique director is the 2000 movie Gladiator, starring Russell Crowe as Maximus.
The movie is a critically acclaimed gem and, even in 2023, has an 8.5/10 IMDb rating. Considering the film was set in Roman times and featured battles between gladiators, it was bound to feature risky fight scenes.
Evidently, there were times when things became too real for actors, who portrayed the courageous roles of gladiators.
Djimon Hounsou Almost Went Too Far in One Swordfight Scene in Gladiator
A movie like Gladiator can lead to actors getting carried away in emotions. Djimon Hounsou, who played Juba, Maximus’ closest ally, experienced this during filming.
Hounsou shared the story of how he almost stabbed someone in the head during a swordfight scene in a conversation with Variety.
I almost accidentally stabbed somebody in the head in the fight sequence in the Colosseum when Maximus gets on the horse. Most of us got carried away, and I think when you’re truly doing it for real, the pretend sort of goes out of the way, and the emotional takes over, so a lot of people got hurt.
As Hounsou mentioned, he let his emotions take over during a fight sequence in the Colosseum. Thankfully, the actor stopped himself in time, otherwise, it could have led to Hounsou ending up in jail.
Either way, it goes without saying that Gladiator is a masterpiece. It’s a perfect blend of emotions, action, and superb direction. Keeping that in mind, it’s no surprise that the film bagged five Academy Awards in 2001, including Russell Crowe as the best actor in a leading role.
Gladiator 2 is Happening and Releasing Soon
With the immense success of Gladiator, fans have been aching for the second part of the phenomenal movie. However, it was always a question of an intriguing story for the sequel.
After all, Crowe’s Maximus died in the climax of the film, thus, leaving an everlasting impact on fans. So what can Ridley Scott focus on for the upcoming sequel? Well, the film is expected to focus on Maximus’ son, Lucius.
It’s obvious that the second movie will take place years after the original masterpiece. The film will closely follow Lucius, but can he make fans connect in the same way as his father? Only time will.
The tentative release date for the movie is set for November 22, 2024. However, the audience shouldn’t be surprised if there’s a delay due to the ongoing actors’ strike.
Also Read: “Why now?”: Ridley Scott’s Biblical Mistake Made Gladiator 2 Suffer Catastrophic Delay
