Ridley Scott has revealed how he would bring Maximus back from the dead in a sequel to Gladiator.
In fact, though Ridley Scott has no known plans to make a sequel to Gladiator, he does have thoughts about how Maximus could be literally resurrected for a second film.
You know I can bring him back, I know how to bring him back.
Maximus then discovers that Lucius, the son of his ex-lover Lucilla (played by Connie Nielsen in the original Gladiator), has been going around massacring Christians at an alarming rate.