Russell Crowe quips about starring in Gladiator 2 as a buried corpse

Hollywood star Russell Crowe has quipped that he will return as General Maximus Decimus Meridius in the Gladiator sequel, but as a corpse lying ‘six feet under’ the Colosseum.

The 58-year-old actor grabbed an Oscar for playing the vengeful Roman commander in Ridley Scott’s 2000 epic and has said he won’t be starring in the long-awaited follow-up, set 20 years after the first film. “I think when they’re shooting in the Colosseum and stuff, I’ll be lying like six feet underground…You won’t see me, but I’ll be there beneath the ground,” he joked on The Jonathan Ross Show.

Russell added that he had spoken with Blade Runner director Ridley, 85, about the sequel, but they had concluded his character was better left dead.

He said: “I’ve had a couple of dinners with Ridley since he embarked on this, we haven’t really talked about what he’s doing. But no, I’m not involved. Maximus has departed the world.” Russell also said that shooting his latest film The Pope’s Exorcist in Rome was the first time he had filmed in the city, as Gladiator was made in London and Morocco.

— IANS