Going back to Gladiator (and obviously SPOILERS ahead), Russell Crowe’s Maximus dies at the end, so one wouldn’t be faulted for thinking this means he couldn’t come back. However, as he revealed earlier this month, Crowe learned from producer Douglas Wick that the plan was for Maximus to be resurrected in a Jesus Christ-like manner. In another Gladiator 2 draft, the body of a dying warrior being used a portal would have been the way Maximus would have returned, but either way, the ‘Maximus rising from the dead’ boat has appears to have sailed off.
Article source: https://www.cinemablend.com/news/2553304/russell-crowe-trolls-fans-about-gladiator-2-in-unhinged-video