New images ofRussell Crowein his newWWII thriller,Nuremberg, recently surfaced online, but one of the star’s older projects has returned to streaming glory over 20 years later. Crowe stars alongsideJoaquin PhoenixandConnie NielseninGladiator, the 2000 historical epic following a former Roman General who sets out for vengeance against the corrupt emperor who killed his family.Gladiatoris currently streaming for free on Pluto TV, and it’s one of the most popular movies in America on the streamer, sitting at #3 at the time of writing. In addition to winning five Oscars, the film also grossed $465 million against a $103 million budget, and it earned a “certified fresh” 80% from critics onRotten Tomatoes, as well as an 87% on the audience-driven Popcornmeter.
During a 2024 interview with The New York Times, directorRidley Scottshed light on somebehind-the-scenes turmoilthat went down during the filming ofGladiator.He revealed that there was a moment when Crowe’s co-star, Joaquin Phoenix, said “I can’t do it,” after already putting on his full prince’s outfit, ready to leave the set for good.Crowe was taken aback by this and told Scott, “This is terribly unprofessional.” He then went into detail about how he got Joaquin to stay, which was acting as a “big brother or dad” to the star. He even described their time onGladiatoras a “baptism of fire” for both of them. Crowe ultimately took home an Oscar for his work inGladiator, which came sandwiched between nominations forThe Insiderin 1999 andA Beautiful Mindin 2001. He has not been nominated in the 24 years since.
Why Did Russell Crowe Not Return for ‘Gladiator II’?
The legacy sequel toGladiatorwas released in theaters last year, and although Ridley Scott returned to direct and Connie Nielsen reprised her role as Lucilla in the film,Crowe did not have a role to play. Scott was open about his logic for this during the press tour forGladiator II, citing Maximus’ death as a reason not to bring back Crowe. Crowe’s Maximus weighs heavily on the film, though – he’s the father of Lucius, the lead role played byPaul Mescal.Denzel WashingtonandPedro Pascalalso star inGladiator II, which is currently streaming on Prime Video and Paramount+.
Gladiatoris one of the most popular movies in America on Pluto TV. Stay tuned to Collider for more streaming updates and coverage of Crowe’s future projects.
