Russell Crowe is reportedly not a happy camper. And it has everything to do with the fact that Hollywood is making a sequel to one of his classic films. Crowe isn't a part of the sequel to Gladiator, the film that made him famous.
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An inside source told In-Touch Weekly that Crowe has taken a cold shoulder to Denzel Washington and Ridley Scott. He's also not a fan of his replacement, Paul Mescal.
"It was probably naïve of the Gladiator II team to charge ahead with the movie and just keep their fingers crossed that Russell would be magnanimous and give the project his unambiguous blessing," the source says.
Meanwhile, Crowe has been a bit frosty during interviews when the topic came up. He said, "I'm slightly uncomfortable, the fact that they're making another one, you know?"
"Because of course, I'm dead," the actor said. Russell is referencing his character, who died at the end of the first film. Production on the film doesn't understand why Crowe is so angry.
"Their perspective was that the first movie made Russell a global superstar and won him his Oscar, and gratitude for that should have carried over to the sequel." the source explains.
They continued, "He could have joined the bandwagon and even shared some of the credit if the movie works. But clearly Russell feels left out and these passive aggressive quotes he's been giving are not helping anybody and even making enemies out of his former friends like Ridley Scott and Denzel Washington, who has a pivotal role in the sequel and really put his heart and soul into the movie."
Russell Crowe Is Angry
Scott has also got pretty catty in his recent interviews when talking about Crowe and his lack of involvement. He told Empire, "I think [Russell is] still one of the best actors in the world, and I think we have a good relationship. I hope we do. As long as he doesn't start b---hing about how he wasn't consulted. Why would I? He's dead!"
Crowe has reportedly made things awkward for his replacement — Paul Mescal.
"The new star of the series, Paul Mescal, is probably in the worst spot because it would have been great for him to get Russell's blessing, since he plays Russell's character's grown son in the film, but Paul has such a giant ego that he can't afford to show for a second that Russell's lack of endorsement is bothering him," the source says.
Meanwhile, Crowe hoped that the sequel may have resurrected his character.
"Russell has given this film one giant cold shoulder because not that long ago, there were plans for a version of Gladiator II that would have starred Russell and resurrected his character Maximus, but as Russell seemed to age out of vigorous action roles, those plans changed," the source said.
"Russell's behavior could be a lot more gracious, no matter how crestfallen he is about losing his grip on this film series."
