Oscar-winning 2000 blockbuster ‘Gladiator’ deserved a great sequel, right? But ‘Gladiator 2‘ has been receiving backlash for several reasons. For instance, May Calamawy’s character was cut off. Was it for abridging the movie? Well, producer Douglas Wick agreed and stated, “Yeah, very clearly. Even as we are, we’re a long movie. So, yeah, very simply, it can’t be longer, and you have to see what works and what’s essential.” Further, unlike the first movie, where Maximus Decimus Meridius, played by Russell Crowe was the hero, the sequel has Paul Mescal as Lucius as the main character.

He is a well-built bruiser with a mysterious past who needs to fight for his freedom. Viewers couldn’t help but compare these two characters and perhaps, this didn’t work in the new movie’s favor. Regardless, the new lead had plenty of support from actors like Pedro Pascal, Derek Jacobi, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger, and Connie Nielsen. However, let us not forget Denzel Washington as Macrinus—a man with unstoppable ambition. The 70-year-old’s presence was loved by many. Yet overall, ‘Gladiator 2‘ received quite a lot of criticism as it didn’t stand up to the expectations viewers had.

And Ryan Garcia is one of those who were simply not entertained by the film. Hear it from him!

‘King Ry’ took to his ‘X’ to vent out his frustration over the sequel. He wrote, “I’m letting yall know gladiator 2 is a miss I was looking forward to it bc I love the first one but the second one disappointed me. No heart and was rushed crazy I’m sad about that.”

In fact, back in June, Crowe sat down with the US podcast and stated that he was “slightly uncomfortable” with the sequel. Crowe feared that the movie would lose its heart and base, exactly what Ryan Garcia expressed in his review. Here’s exactly what Crowe stated:

“I’m slightly uncomfortable, the fact that they’re making another one, you know? Because of course, I’m dead, and I have no say in what gets done,” he stated, referring to his character, who was killed by Phoenix at the end of the film.

“A couple of things that I’ve heard, I’m like, ‘No, no, no. That’s not in the moral journey of that particular character.’ But you know, I can’t say anything. That’s not my place. I’m six feet under. So we’ll see what that is like.”

But coming back to Ryan Garcia, this is not the first time that the boxing star has expressed his opinion regarding movies online. He is a dedicated fan and at one point was even ready to make his debut on the big screen.

For Ryan Garcia, entertaining his fans is important…

According to reports, Ryan Garcia was in talks with actress-producer Gina Rodriguez to co-star in a movie based on his life. The 26-year-old was excited about the role and was looking forward to working alongside Rodriguez, who was going to produce and co-write the movie as well. However, since the initial announcement in 2021, there has been overwhelming silence regarding the movie.

The movie was supposed to begin filming in 2022, but it seems like the plans have derailed significantly. That being said, the boxer has previously appeared in other projects.

For instance, he was featured in the 2019 TV series ‘On the Ropes’ as Sonny Mendoza. Then, he was also a part of the 2024 TV mini-series  ’40 Days: Haney vs Garcia’. But things don’t end here.

Leading up to his fight against Devin Haney earlier this year, Garcia showed some erratic behavior, which Haney’s father felt was an acting ploy in order to distract Devin Haney. “I know he’s acting, and it’s unfortunate that he’s using the mental health route as an antic because there are people in the world who are suffering from mental illness. That’s not deterring us,” Haney’s father stated. And he was right.

In April, Garcia revealed, “We have it pre-recorded, months ago. What’d I say was gonna happen? I said, ‘I’m about to make sure everybody thinks I’m gonna go crazy. I’mma do this, I’mma do that.’ Watch, it’s gonna be called the ‘great escape.’ Like, I have it all documented. I was already planning it weeks and months behind.”

“I don’t know what made me come up with the idea, honestly. One day I just decided to just go all in, and just commit to the plan that I had, and I was not gonna budge for nobody… I was acting like, sporadic. Like just crazy. Faces, I would do this with my nose (scrunch), and then I’d be like, ‘It’s just a tick.’ I had everything.”

This strategy could have possibly offended people who have dealt with mental health issues. While Garcia defeated Haney by a majority decision (112-112, 114-110, 115-109), the New York State Athletic Commission overturned it after Garcia tested positive for the PED ostarine.