Ridley Scott is one of the most prolific filmmakers during the 70s and even today, he still produces epic-scale movies that fans of different generations enjoy. An auteur like him would absolutely want to protect his own franchises and see to it that his own vision from the beginning flows continuously to their successors.
Apparently, sequels weren’t a big thing back in the days, and even though his own titles such as Aliens and Blade Runner spawned their own follow-up movies, they were no longer directed by Scott.
Ridley Scott Regrets Not Making Sequels To Alien And Blade Runner
During his interview with Vanity Fair, director Ridley Scott expressed his regret over not making sequels to two of his much-beloved franchises.
I was slow out the starting gate. I mean, I should have done the sequels to Alien and to Blade Runner. You change over the years. At that time, I didn’t want to go through it again. So Jim Cameron came in—and then David Fincher—on Alien.
Thirty-five years later, Scott decided to work on another Blade Runner movie, but he also saw the chance to produce another Alien-related film, Prometheus, hence the former movie was handed to Denis Villeneuve. He would lament, “I was regretful, although he did a good job.”
Scott proclaims himself the author of Alien and Blade Runner. “Most directors in Hollywood—certainly, let’s say, at my level—don’t let that stuff go,” he notes. He said the chance to make sequels back in the 80s was not a popular idea so he was never asked to revisit them. “You can imagine I wasn’t happy,” he remarked.
This is why Gladiator II paints a special picture for Scott because he gets to do what he couldn’t with Alien and Blade Runner. The new film, which stars Paul Mescal, will serve as a sequel to the 2000 movie led by Russell Crowe.
Ridley Scott Wanted Russell Crowe Back In Gladiator 2
Scott originally wanted to bring back Crowe in the sequel that was delayed for about two decades. During his interview with CinemaBlend’s official podcast, he shared his initial plan.
I knew how to bring him back through a portal, back to the real world. I’m not going to tell you what it is, because somebody will steal it. I talked to [writer] Nick [Cave] every other day for about a month as he was writing it. And so I said, ‘We can bring him back this way.’
Scott wanted the film to begin in Styx on the edge of the ocean and viewers would see an armed warrior wandering around. That would be Maximus looking around where he would head next.
Evidently, this did not work as Crowe will unlikely return in the sequel. Hopefully, Gladiator II will live up to the success of the original movie, and surely, Scott is now happy to finally get to direct a sequel film to one of his original creations.
Gladiator II arrives in theaters on November 15.
