The Northman’s Weird Tease Sets A Challenge For Ridley Scott’s Gladiator 2

Robert Eggers’ The Northman‘s “weird” tease poses a new challenge for Ridley Scott’s Gladiator 2. Despite the many comparisons that have been drawn between his film and other historical epics like Braveheart, Eggers has promised that his film will be much weirder. While this is a good thing on its own, it also poses an interesting obstacle for Scott’s sequel to overcome once it finally arrives.

As his third feature film, The Northman will be Eggers’ biggest film to date. Compared to his small-scale horror hits, The VVitch and The Lighthouse, The Northman will be a historical revenge epic. As such, it makes sense why the film is drawing comparisons to Braveheart and Gladiator, which Eggers addressed in a recent interview. The parallels are clear; both films follow similar revenge plots set during historical periods. That said, based on what Eggers has said, that’s where those similarities will end.

Eggers mentions that while The Northman may still have aspects to share with other historical epics, The Northman will be much weirder than what came before, as he is trying to find the balance between being “arty” and “commercial.” This makes sense, as The Lighthouse‘s positive reception proves he is capable of making a film that will mess with the audience’s heads. Depending on The Northman‘s success, this could also put greater weight on Gladiator 2, which plans to bring back Russell Crowe’s Maximus despite the character’s death in the original film. To rectify this issue, Scott will likely need to go the “weird” route as well, in the sense that unless it’s in a flashback, the explanation for Maximus’ return is sure to stretch the limits of credulity.

There have been many scripts and theories circulating as to how exactly Maximus is meant to return in Gladiator 2. While bringing him back from the dead seems unlikely, the original film offers a possibility for him to appear without undoing his emotional death. Throughout Gladiator, Maximus sees visions of his wife and son, whose deaths at the hands of Commodus are what drive him to seek vengeance. After he died in Gladiator‘s ending battle, he is seen joining them in the afterlife. It’s possible for Maximus to be used in such a way in Gladiator 2, and for Scott to lean heavily into this aspect. Mixing the real world with the afterlife more directly could offer a fully unique approach to the sequel, and one that allows it to stand apart from its beloved predecessor. And depending on how weird The Northman ends up being, the comparisons between both films will become more appropriate.

As of now, there’s no telling how weird The Northman will get or if Gladiator 2 is still going to happen. Still, the former could provide the daring blueprint needed to make Scott’s sequel successful. For now, Robert Eggers’ The Northman is certainly more ambitious in scope than The VVitch and The Lighthouse. Hopefully, those ambitions will pay off.

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