Lucius returns in Gladiator II, but the actor playing the original movie character has been recast for specific reasons. After Ridley Scott made the original Gladiator in 2000, the possibility of a sequel lingered for years before the final iteration of Gladiator 2 fell into place. Instead of exploring Maximus’ return after Gladiator‘s ending as once considered, the sequel shifted its focus to be about the Roman empire a few decades later. This was done so that Lucius, Lucilla’s son in the original movie, could return as the main character.
