“I’ve lit the fuse,” Scott said. “The ending of ‘Gladiator II’ is reminiscent of ‘The Godfather,’ with Michael Corleone finding himself with a job he didn’t want, and wondering, ‘Now, Father, what do I do?‘ So the next [film] will be about a man who doesn’t want to be where he is.”

As “Gladiator II” barrels towards theaters, Ridley Scott and Paul Mescal are already set to re-team on a new project. Scott will direct “The Dog Stars” for 20th Century, with Mescal in advance negotiations to star.