After the death of Emperor Marcus Aurelius, his devious son takes power and demotes Maximus, one of Rome's most capable generals who Marcus preferred. Eventually, Maximus is forced to become a gladiator and battle to the death against other men for the amusement of paying audiences.
Al Hunter Ashton (1957-2007) was a Birmingham born actor and screenwriter. As an actor, he performed mainly under the name Al Ashton (to ensure he appeared high up in any alphabetical credits) and wrote as Al Hunter Ashton. His most famous work was his script for Alan Clarke's seminal football hooliganism film, The Firm.