When Oscar winner Russell Crowe was spotted recently in Malta, where Ridley Scott is filming his big-budget Gladiator sequel, speculation mounted the leading man might return in a cameo as Maximus Decimus Meridius.

Crowe, 59, who won best actor for the 2000 action blockbuster, was quick to hose down those rumours during a guest appearance at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in the Czech Republic over the weekend.

Wrapping a three-month tour (four countries, 23 shows) with his Indoor Garden Party band, and accepting the Crystal Globe award for outstanding contribution to world cinema, Crowe told a press conference his involvement with Gladiator 2  was as dead as his character from the original movie.

“They should be f–king paying me for the amount of questions I am asked about a film I am not even in,” he was quoted as saying by multiple outlets.

“It has nothing to do with me. In that world, I am dead. Six feet under.”

Spoiler alert for those who didn’t see the original 23 years ago, Maximus was the commander of the Armies of the North in the Roman Empire, serving loyally under Emperor Marcus Aurelius.

When the emperor is murdered by his son Commodus, and Maximus refuses to swear allegiance, his wife and son are crucified by the Roman cavalrymen.

In 192AD, he finally had the opportunity to avenge the emperor’s death – as well as his wife and son – and he killed Commodus in a bloody, fierce arena battle, and Maximus also died of his wounds.

Maximus is believed to have had a romance with the emperor’s daughter, Lucilla, when they were young and had not yet married.

She later married and had a son, Lucius, who now headlines the sequel and is played by Paul Mescal).

Gladiator took home five Oscars and marked the beginning of Crowe’s collaboration with Scott, including A Good Year (2006), American Gangster (2007), Body of Lies (2008), and Robin Hood (2010). Photo: AAP

‘A time warp’

New Zealand-born Crowe, who appeared on the red carpet at the festival with his partner Britney Theriot, has plenty of work on.

He’s directing feature-length music documentary Last Breath (about maintaining his passion for music alongside his acting career) and stars in three upcoming films including Kraven the Hunter, The Georgetown Project and Nuremberg (where he will play Hermann Göring).

At the media briefing, he admitted he got nostalgic when he saw the set of Fort Ricasoli and the Colosseum in Malta, which was identical to one built for the original Gladiator in 1999.

“It was a time warp for a couple of seconds,” he said.

“I admit to a certain tinge of jealousy, because it reminds me not only of my youth, but of what that meant for me in my life.”

It was the moment that turned Crowe into a big-time Hollywood star.

In his acceptance speech at the 73rd Academy Awards in 2001, he thanked Scott for the dream come true.

“I owe this to one bloke and his name is Ridley Scott. You know, when you grow up in the suburbs of Sydney or Auckland, or Newcastle like Ridley or Jamie Bell [nominated in the same category for Billy Elliot], or the suburbs of anywhere … a dream like this seems kind of vaguely ludicrous and completely unattainable.

“But, this moment is directly connected to those childhood imaginings … and for anybody who’s on the down side of advantage and relying purely on courage, it’s possible.”

Could Paul Mescal, seen at The Olivier Awards in London this year, follow in Crowe’s footsteps and bag a few awards for playing Lucius? Photo: Getty

Plot lines

Scott’s sequel is likely to track Lucius on his journey to become an emperor.

The supporting cast includes Denzel Washington, Djimon Hounsou, Derek Jacobi, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger, Pedro Pascal and Moon Knight‘s May Calamawy.

“I don’t know anything about the cast or plot – well I wouldn’t, because I’m dead – [but] whoever’s involved in that movie, if Ridley has decided to do a second part to that story, he will have really strong reasons,” Crowe said.

“It’s very typical of Ridley to rethink everything that he’s done and know how to make it better.

“I couldn’t think of that movie being anything less than absolutely spectacular when it does come out,” he said.

Meanwhile, Screenrant speculates Scott might employ “a flashback or dream sequence” to get Crowe’s Maximus back on the big screen, and he will likely be mentioned by name.

Crowe and partner Britney Theriot during the opening of the 57th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, Czech Republic, on June 30. Photo: Getty

The future

But apart from recalling the past, Crowe also pondered his future, as he turns 60 next year.

“You are standing in front of the mirror, and go: ‘Who the f–k is that?’ I am in that period now.

“I will take Ridley Scott as my role model: He is still discovering new things in his work.

“Or I will just stop and you will never hear from me again.

“I haven’t decided what it’s going to be. These are two very valid choices.”

Gladiator 2 is forecast for release in November 2024