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.