Will Ridley Scott Win the Best Director Oscar for Gladiator II?
Will Ridley Scott Win the Best Director Oscar for Gladiator II?
Gladiator (2000) cleared up at the Academy Awards in 2001, winning five Oscar statuettes, including Best Picture.
However, Ridley Scott failed to secure the Best Director award, losing out to Steven Soderbergh for Traffic.
Despite producing many critically acclaimed and commercially successful movies, the legendary director has never added the Best Director award to his trophy cabinet, but 2025 might be his year.
So, does Ridley Scott have a chance at winning the Best Director Oscar for Gladiator II? Keep reading to make a prediction.
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Gladiator II is His Most Ambitious Film
Ridley Scott has directed some of the most popular movies of all time, such as Alien (1979), Blade Runner (1982), Thelma & Louise (1991), Gladiator (2000), and The Martian (2015).
For this reason, it is surprising to many that the acclaimed director has never won Best Director at the Academy Awards.
Ridley Scott himself has stated Gladiator II is the most ambitious film he has made to date, and the scale and intricate direction could result in him winning the Oscar in 2025.
A Dark Horse in the Oscar Race
Many movie experts believe Ridley Scott is the dark horse to win Best Director at the 97th Academy Awards.
Variety’s Clayton Davis recently said, “Ridley’s never won. People are hyper aware of that. When you’re a movie that’s gonna be doing well in the tech categories… and we have this year where there’s no obvious frontrunner, we end up with like an Ang Lee-by-accident second Oscar win for Life of Pi, and that’s why I think that Ridley Scott is someone that everyone can coalesce around.”
A Standing Ovation from the Academy
Also, the seasoned director seems to have the favor of the Academy. According to Deadline’s Pete Hammond, the Gladiator II screening held specifically for Academy voters had the biggest turnout compared to other films in 2024.
Also, Hammond commented that Ridley Scott “came out to not just a standing ovation for him, but an enthusiastic one. I mean, I haven’t seen one like that in a while. And I think he thinks, ‘Sure, they will stand for me, but they won’t vote for me.’”
Denzel Washington’s Support
During an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Denzel Washington expressed his frustration that Ridley Scott was never awarded Best Director at the Oscars despite releasing many exceptional films.
He said, “Ridley is overdue. How can he not have won an Oscar? That doesn’t even make sense. I don’t believe it, actually.”
It is an issue Denzel Washington isn’t willing to let go of, as he recently said on BBC Radio 1, “Would you tell somebody how this man cannot have an Academy Award? Do your job.”
Tough Competition in the Category
Due to the quality of films released over the past year, it is hard to pick a clear frontrunner for Best Director. However, some directors are more likely to appear in the category than others.
At present, Brady Corbet for The Brutalist is the favorite to win the award, but it faces close competition from Sean Baker’s Anora and Jacques Audiard’s Emilia Perez.
For Ridley Scott to win, he will need the majority of the Academy on his side to finally take home the accolade many movie lovers believe he deserves.