Russell Crowe Harshly Criticized This 148-Minute Epic Dominating Streaming

3 weeks ago 11

Published Mar 6, 2026, 5:50 PM EST

Adam Blevins began working in the entertainment industry in 2022 as a Staff Writer for Agents of Fandom, where he progressed to Senior Editor and interviewed talent from Marvel Studios, House of the Dragon, and Planet of the Apes. He joined Collider as a News Author in April 2024, was promoted to a Senior position in December 2024, and has written over 3,000 articles for the site, including exclusives relating to Avengers: Doomsday, The Penguin, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, and more. He primarily writes about the latest box office numbers and the hottest movies and TV shows on streaming, while also covering superhero and sci-fi news. He has completed a set visit for The Chosen and even has several months of experience writing Gaming Features at ScreenRant. You can find him on X, LinkedIn, and Muckrack.

Russell Crowe is currently hard at work filming his new action movie, Highlander, which stars Henry Cavill and Dave Bautista. The film is shaping up to be one of the most famous of Crowe’s career, especially considering it has the backing of John Wick director Chad Stahelski. Crowe has plenty of other all-time hits in his filmography, though, enough to ensure that it won’t be more than a minor blemish if Highlander doesn’t live up to its immensely high expectations. Crowe is a three-time Oscar nominee, two of which came for his performances in The Insider (1999) and A Beautiful Mind (2001), with his first and only Oscar win sandwiched between the two. Crowe took home the gold for his commanding performance in Gladiator, the 2000 historical epic directed by Ridley Scott, which has aged like fine wine.

Ridley Scott spoke about a sequel to Gladiator for years, but it wasn’t until 2024 that the film finally made it to the big screen. Crowe did not return to reprise his role as Maximus, which wasn’t all that surprising, considering he died at the end of the first film. More than a year removed from the release of Gladiator II, Crowe went public with his criticism of the legacy sequel, saying that it was an example of a room full of people who didn’t understand what made the original such a success. He criticized the film for leaning too much on action and scale and not enough on the moral core that the first movie nails so well. Still, despite these criticisms, Gladiator II is one of the most popular movies on Paramount+ streaming charts around the world, charting in the top 10 in more than 10 countries.

Is Ridley Scott Making Another ‘Gladiator’ Movie?

During the press tour for Gladiator II, Ridley Scott confirmed that he was in the early development stages of another Gladiator movie. However, after the 2024 sequel failed to deliver box office results that would make it worth its $250 million budget, Paramount is likely much more hesitant about footing the bill for another expensive historical epic. Still, if Scott can figure out how to make the movie for a more modest budget, it’s worth the risk. Scott’s next movie, The Dog Stars, hits theaters this August.

Check out Gladiator II on Paramount+ and stay tuned to Collider for more streaming updates and potential coverage of another Gladiator movie.