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.

In a recent discussion, acclaimed director Ridley Scott revealed that Russell Crowe was extremely enthusiastic about reprising his role of General Maximus in Gladiator 2. The actor, who won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 2001 for his role in Gladiator,

Russell Crowe wanted to keep spectators entertained. While the Oscar-winning star of 2000’s Gladiator is not in the film’s follow-up, he did valiantly try to be. According to helmer Ridley Scott, Crowe wanted to reincarnate his character of Maximus,