Gladiator III will take inspiration from The Godfather trilogy, reveals director Ridley Scott

Sir Ridley Scott will use 'The Godfather' trilogy as a basis for a third 'Gladiator' movie.

Even though he's just released 'Gladiator II' - the long-awaited sequel to the Russell Crowe-starring 2000 Roman blockbuster - the 86-year-old director is already looking to the future of the series, and has now shared he will take inspiration from Francis Ford Coppola's iconic Mafia saga if makes another movie in the franchise.

The filmmaker explained he wanted to take Michael Corleone's character arc from 'The Godfather Part II' and craft something similar for Paul Mescal's Lucius, the son of Crowe's Maximus Decimus Meridius.

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Scott told The Hollywood Reporter: "There's already an idea. I always had this idea that 'The Godfather' ends with Michael not wanting the job. He sits there, and there's this push-in on Al [Pacino].

He's already had his hand kissed. He's betrayed his wife with lies.

"[Lucius] isn't quite that evil at all. He's wondering, 'Father, what do I do?' Paul not wanting the job is a good place to start."

As well as this, the 'Alien' director previously teased the next 'Gladiator' film "would be about a man who doesn't want to be where he is".

While no third entry into the series has been officially confirmed, Scott revealed he has already begun working on the script and has the "beginning of a very good footprint" for another 'Gladiator'.

He told Total Film: "I've already got eight pages. I've got the beginning of a very good footprint."

"If there's a 'Gladiator III', I don't think you'd ever go back into the arena. But I had to go back into the arena ..."

'Gladiator II' - which stars Mescal, Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, Connie Nielsen and Joseph Quinn - follows Lucius, who is taken prisoner by the Roman army, sold into slavery and then forced to compete as a gladiator in the Colosseum, all while his master Macrinus enacts his plan to take Rome for himself.

Mescal, 28, previously said he would be "massively down" for a third 'Gladiator' movie.

When Variety asked the 'All of Us Strangers' star if he would be open to appearing in another entry into the franchise, he said: "Oh yeah, [I'm] massively down."

"I don't think it will be [24] years - but I have no idea when it will be."