Russell Crowe previously said he was "slightly jealous" and "uncomfortable" about the sequel Much has been said about Russell Crowe's absence from the new Gladiator sequel. The actor, now 60, won an Oscar for Best Actor in 2001 for his performance in the first film as Maximus,

According to helmer Ridley Scott, 'Gladiator' star Russell Crowe initially wanted to reincarnate his character of Maximus in a proposed sequel.

That’s a lot of Oscar history happening in the span of two years, a Jenga tower of cause and effect that would topple if even one block got removed. Like, for example, if Russell Crowe never won that Best Actor Oscar for Gladiator, a development that would alter the course of Oscars history, Hollywood history — heck, even American history.

Russell Crowe really wanted to be in Gladiator II, despite the obvious problem that his characters dies in the first movie.

It was an open secret and, with the release of 'Gladiator II', it became clear that Russell Crowe was not going to return as Maximus Decimus Meridius, a role he played in the origi

As legendary filmmaker Ridley Scott tells PEOPLE, the New Zealand star, who won the Best Actor Oscar in 2001 for his performance in the first film, was eager to somehow factor into Gladiator II despite his character Maximus's death at the end of the original.