The movie, "Gladiator", was directed by whom?

The movie Gladiator was directed by Ridley Scott. Released in 2000, the historical epic stars Russell Crowe as Maximus Decimus Meridius, a Roman general forced into slavery who rises as a gladiator after Emperor Commodus murders his family and seizes power.

Scott was drawn to the project after producer Douglas Wick showed him Jean-Léon Gérôme’s 1872 painting Pollice Verso, which depicts a Roman arena and a defeated gladiator. The image helped shape the film’s visual ambition. The screenplay was developed from David Franzoni’s story and later revised by John Logan and William Nicholson.

Although the story uses fictional characters and dramatized events, it borrows elements from Roman history, particularly the reign of Commodus and the culture of gladiatorial combat. The production recreated part of the Colosseum in Malta, while other scenes were filmed in England, Morocco, and Italy.

Gladiator became a major critical and commercial success. At the 2001 Academy Awards, it won Best Picture, Best Actor for Russell Crowe, Best Costume Design, Best Sound, and Best Visual Effects. A sequel, Gladiator II, was released in 2024, also directed by Scott.