Even though this TikTok trend is long over, Ridley Scott just can’t seem to get the Roman Empire out of his head.

Before his long-awaited Gladiator IIwhich premieres internationally on November 15 and in the US and Canada on November 22, the Oscar-nominated director recently hinted that he would like to round out the trilogy with a future third installment.

“I’m already toying with the ideaGladiators 3. No, seriously! I lit the fuse…”, he told the French magazine premiere“The end of Gladiator II reminds of The Godfatherin which Michael Corleone gets a job he doesn’t want and asks himself, ‘Well, father, what do I do now?’ So the next (film) will be about a man who doesn’t want to be where he is.”

Paramount had no comment on the future of the franchise, which began with Scott’s Oscar-winning historical epic. gladiator (2000), starring Russell Crowe.

Gladiator II stars Paul Mescal as Lucius, who witnessed Maximus (played by Crowe) die at the hands of his uncle Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) in the first film. As an adult, Lucius is forced to enter the Colosseum and fight to restore glory to the people of Rome.

The sequel also stars Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger and Connie Nielsen, who reprises her role as Lucius’ mother Lucilla from the original film.

Quinn previously recalled that 86-year-old Scott had a “thirst for life and also a desire to make films” on the set of the highly anticipated sequel.