Crowe won a Best Actor Oscar for playing the character of Maximus, who dies at the end of the 2000 original Russell Crowe doesn't return to the Colosseum in the long anticipated sequel to Gladiator — but it wasn't for a lack of trying.

Gladiator II' will hit theaters 24 years after the first film came out (2000) and won five Oscars the following year.

Now, director Ridley Scott is returning to ancient Rome with the long-awaited sequel, "Gladiator II" which hits theaters Friday. The film stars Denzel Washington, Connie Nielsen, and Pedro Pascal in a story set in the same brutal Roman Empire —one that didn't leave Scott's mind in the years since its first release.

Ridley Scott already has a plan for Gladiator III, and he has not been shy when it comes to dropping hints about it. The visionary director has been promoting his new action-epic sequel, which is set to deliver a $60 million opening weekend at the box office.

Gladiator II director Ridley Scott shares how original film star Russell Crowe nearly featured in the sequel and why it didn't work out.