Russell Crowe on How Pirates of the Caribbean Sank a Master and Commander Sequel

Russell Crowe movie Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World is rumored to be getting a new TV series based on the novels of Patrick O’Brian, but Crowe has revealed why he believes his version never had a sequel – and it’s all down to Johnny Depp’s Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. Crowe’s turn as Captain Jack Aubrey in the Napoleonic War-set movie was a huge success in terms of its 10 Oscar nominations – of which it won two – and strong critical and audience reviews. However, its downfall was its total box office haul of $212 million on the back of a massive $150 million budget, which Crowe suggests was partly down to the timing of the film’s release just after the first of Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean movies.

Speaking to GQ, Crowe reflected on what he feels is a missed opportunity in the movie not getting a sequel, especially when considering the book series has 20 novels, but put that down to the relatively poor performance in cinemas. In turn, he noted that Disney’s “big boat” movie’s success was behind the lackluster reaction to Master and Commander. He said:

“We should’ve definitely done more than one movie. It’s a funny thing though.
Master and Commander
is sort of, even though it got 10 or so Academy Award nominations, and it did very well at the box office globally, it just didn’t hit the certain number in America. And at that time, that was a very dominant part of the decision. We kind of missed the boat, so to speak. Our shoot was over and done before they started shooting
Pirates of the Caribbean
but then our post-production was very complicated and took a long time. So, we came out after
Pirates of the Caribbean
and just the way things work, once people have seen a big boat movie that’s a comedy, then trying to get them to focus on a big boat period movie.”

Despite the lack of a Master and Commander sequel – though a prequel movie was reportedly being considered back in 2021 – Crowe has not exactly missed out in terms of his expanding resume, and in the last few years his range of genres has continued to grow with several unexpected movie appearances.

Russell Crowe Has Superheroes, Nuremberg, and Exorcisms in His Future, but No Gladiator

In 2022, Crowe dipped into the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the role of Zeus in Thor: Love and Thunder, a role that he could potentially reprise in Chris Hemsworth’s next – and potentially final – outing as the Norse god of thunder. But before that possibly happens, Crowe will be switching over to the Sony side of the Marvel coin as he appears in the upcoming Sony Spider-Man Universe movie, Kraven the Hunter, which is now expected to be released in December after being pushed back from a summer release.

Outside his superhero roles, Crowe has also proved a hit in the horror genre, starring in The Pope’s Exorcist. The film proved to be enough of a hit to set a sequel in motion, which will see Crowe return in the new movie based on the case files of Father Gabriele Amorth, the chief exorcist of the Vatican. However, one sequel that Crowe will not be appearing in is the follow-up to Ridley Scott’s Gladiator – and that is something he is a little unhappy about.

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While Crowe’s character of Maximus Decimus Meridius died at the end of the Scott-directed 2000 movie, the fact that sequel is now ready for release is something that Crowe says makes him feel “uncomfortable.” The sequel will move the story on a number of years, and find Lucius, the child that Maximus saved in the first movie, as an adult, played by Paul Mescal. Crowe noted that there have been “a couple of things I’ve heard, I’m like, ‘No, no, no. That’s not the moral journey of that particular character.’” However, as he also conceded, with his character being dead, he has no say in the movie.