Ridley Scott Was Robbed Of His Own Franchises by Hollywood & Still Bitter About It
The iconic director hated letting go of his franchises but didn’t have a choice.
The new Barbenheimer is approaching fast: in November 2024, Jon M. Chu releases musical fantasy Wicked soon after Ridley Scott ’s Gladiator II, the long-anticipated sequel to his iconic 2000 historical drama. For Scott, making the second installment was a big deal — first, because he’d always had it in mind, and second, because back in the day, he was robbed of his franchises by Hollywood… Twice.
Ridley Scott Lost Two Iconic Franchises
Without a doubt, Ridley Scott is up there among the greatest movie directors of our time. The man has delivered multiple instant classics and established some of the greatest franchises… However, he was twice ripped off of them by Hollywood, and despite many years having passed since then, the director is still bitter about it.
“I’m the author of two franchises. Most directors in Hollywood—certainly, let’s say, at my level—don’t let that stuff go. But I did Alien as my second movie, so I didn’t have much choice. And Blade Runner was my third movie. So, I had no choice because I had very tough partners. It was kind of ‘Welcome to Hollywood,’” Scott shared with Vanity Fair.
Scott’s Gladiator II Fixes the Old Injustice
Ridley Scott’s being new to Hollywood played a cruel trick on him. Imagine creating such huge and culturally significant franchises — and then having to immediately give them up to other, more well-established directors! That’s just cold — though admittedly, Scott’s lack of desire to continue those movies in the first place is at least partially to blame, too.
“You can imagine I wasn’t happy. I was slow out the starting gate. I mean, I should have done the sequels to Alien and to Blade Runner. You change over the years. At that time, I didn’t want to go through it again. So Jim Cameron came in—and then David Fincher—on Alien,” the director explained.
With Gladiator II, Ridley Scott will finally right the wrongs of the past, continuing his epic tale on his own terms. And while we’re happy for him, we can’t say he did his homework: the man has waited for over two decades before getting back to Gladiator, so realistically, he could’ve been robbed blind of it in that time, as well.
Source: Vanity Fair