While his days as one of the biggest movie stars globally might be in the past, Russell Crowe continues to deliver engaging performances, as evidenced by his recent WWII film, Nuremberg. Despite its underperformance at the box office, the film was an audience favorite, even generating some Oscar buzz for Crowe's portrayal of Hermann Göring, though he ultimately did not receive a nomination.

Crowe boasts an impressive Oscar history, with three consecutive nominations between 1999 and 2001, culminating in a win. In 2001, he famously took on the role of Maximus in Ridley Scott's legendary historical epic, Gladiator. Fresh off his first Oscar nomination for The Insider the previous year, Crowe secured the gold statue for his performance in Gladiator, a role widely considered the pinnacle of his career.

Gladiator, which premiered on May 5, 2000, with a runtime of 155 minutes, was directed by Ridley Scott and written by David Franzoni, John Logan, and William Nicholson. The film co-starred Joaquin Phoenix, who reportedly had notable issues on set with Crowe during production, even threatening to leave. Crowe characterized Phoenix's behavior as “unprofessional,” but Scott successfully mediated the situation, preventing his departure.

Despite being released over two decades ago, Gladiator continues to demonstrate significant staying power. In America, the film is currently available for streaming on Paramount+ and for free on Pluto TV. More remarkably, it has recently experienced a massive resurgence on Video On Demand (VOD) platforms, charting in the top 10 on iTunes and Google in over 15 countries worldwide during the last week, showcasing its enduring appeal.

However, this sustained popularity did not extend to its legacy sequel, Gladiator II. Russell Crowe was notably absent from the production, a decision director Ridley Scott attributed to his character, Maximus, dying in the first film. Crowe, while initially expressing mild disappointment, later voiced strong criticism of Gladiator II, stating that its creators “didn’t understand what made the first one special.”

In Crowe’s stead, Paul Mescal was cast to play Lucius, the son of Maximus and Lucilla (Connie Nielsen), in Gladiator II. Although Crowe does not appear, the narrative clearly aims for Lucius to grapple with and live up to the formidable legacy of Maximus Meridius.