Gladiator II isn’t hitting theaters until November, but Ridley Scott has already begun planning out Gladiator 3.

In an interview with French magazine Première, Scott compared Gladiator II to The Godfather, with Paul Mescal’s Lucius Verus becoming a Michael Corleone-type character who reluctantly came to power. Gladiator 3 would then pick up the story of how Verus confronts the power struggles of imperial Rome.

“I’m already toying with the idea of ​​Gladiator 3,” Scott said. “I’ve lit the fuse [for the sequel]… The ending of Gladiator II is reminiscent of The Godfather, with Michael Corleone ending up with a job he didn’t want, and wondering, ‘What now, Father, what do I do?’ So the next [film] will be about a man who doesn’t want to be where he is.”

The magazine later reached out to Mescal about Scott’s comments. Mescal said he was just told about the sequel recently but expressed interest in reprising his role.

“Ridley spoke to me about it, but only yesterday!” he explained. “So I’m waiting to see what’s going to happen, but I’m interested, of course. But we can’t rush anything: the story has to hold together.”

In the meantime, Gladiator II will open in US theaters on November 22nd, 2024.  It also stars a returning Connie Nielsen, Pedro Pascal, Denzel Washington, and Joseph Quinn. Revisit the official trailer here.