Ridley Scott's Classic Historical Epic With Sequel In The Works Slices Its Way Onto Streaming

Published Oct 26, 2026, 2:01 PM EDT Nick Bythrow is a Lead Writer for ScreenRant. He has been writing for the site since September 2022. He graduated from Hampshire College in 2022, where he triple majored in Journalism, Communications, and Media Studies. When he's not writing about TV and movies for ScreenRant and his blog, Frayed Branches, Nick is penning speculative fiction and poetry on Amazon. He lives outside Boston, Massachusetts. Ridley Scott's classic historical epic that already has a sequel in the works has begun slicing its way up the streaming charts. Scott's best movies include a number of films in the historical epic category, depicting events from various time periods across the world. From the world of the Crusades in Kingdom of Heaven to the French Revolution in Napoleon, a major part of Scott's career has been pulling from historical centerpoints across time and crafting high-octane, character-driven stories surrounding them. Such is the case with Gladiator, a fictionalized historical epic set during the reign of Commodus during the time of the Roman Empire. The film tells the story of Maximus, a Roman general whose family is murdered by Commodus, who killed his own father, Marcus Aurelius, in order to usurp his throne. Now a slave, Maximus becomes a gladiator, rising through the ranks and fighting his opponents, with his final goal being to avenge the death of his wife and child. The movie was released in 2000, earning critical and commercial success in the process. Ridley Scott's Gladiator Is Joining Its Sequel To Conquer Netflix ©DreamWorks/Courtesy Everett Collection Now, Ridley Scott's Gladiator is conquering Netflix, joining its sequel, Gladiator II, which is already a smash hit on the streaming platform. According to data from October 26, 2026, Gladiator is Number 6 on Netflix in the United States, while Gladiator II currently sits at Number 2 in the US on the platform. Both movies arrived on the platform on October 21, 2026, and have slowly snuck their way up the Top 10 over the last few days. Today, the films are evidently popular with at-home audiences. Gladiator was a critical hit upon release, currently holding a Certified Fresh 80% on Rotten Tomatoes with critics. The movie also did well at the box office, earning $466 million against a $103 million budget. It was a defining feature for its core leads, Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix, becoming a contemporary classic in the process. Following its release, it was met with five Oscar wins, including one for Best Picture. While Gladiator II became a relative box office success too, reviews were slightly less positive. Scott Is Already Cooking Up Another Sequel While Gladiator II came out in 2024, a full 24 years after the previous movie, Scott is already preparing to develop Gladiator III as one of the next movies in his lineup. The movie will see the return of Paul Mescal as Lucius, and is expected to continue his journey following the end of Gladiator II. While details are currently sparse, as of August 2025, Scott has definitively stated the movie is in the process of being developed. However, there's no word yet on when it will arrive. But, as evident by both films' success on Netflix, there's clearly an audience for the franchise that is keeping both movies alive long after they've left the movie theater. This is a good sign for how the film series may proceed one the third installment arrives, confirming that it'll be another solid installment financially. For now, though, Gladiator is proving that audiences adore Scott's classic historical epic and everything that comes with it. Release Date May 5, 2000 Runtime 155 minutes Director Ridley Scott Writers David Franzoni, John Logan, William Nicholson Sequel(s) Gladiator II