Exclusive: Ridley Scott On Gladiator 2

First it was Maximus reincarnated, then it was a prequel and finally a completely unrelated story of other gladiators, which may or may not feature Russell Crowe in a cameo role. The rumours for Gladiator 2 have been nothing if not inventive but have done little to offer any hard facts as to what the sequel will hold - even Ridley Scott's return to the director's chair has been unconfirmed. In an effort to clear all this up, Empire Online tracked down the director who is indeed interested in returning to ancient Rome and he gave us the scoop on what he has planned. "It's written," he told us, "we've already done quite a lot of work and the draft's in now. The target would be early 2005." Don't expect to see Russell Crowe lose his beer gut for a return any time soon though, Gladiator 2 plans to pick up where the first film left off, shifting the focus considerably. "It's the next generation. Roman history is so exotic that any part of it is really fascinating. History is far more exotic than anything you can dream up. The film will take the next step, which is the son. [Lucilla's] son, Lucius." No casting decisions have yet been made (though you can bet Connie Nielsen will make an appearance) and Scott insists that the action in Gladiator 2 will take place entirely outside the Coliseum, abandoning the first film's gladiatorial focus. "No, no we can't do that again. We've done that. I wouldn