https://www.empireonline.com/movies/news/gladiator-2-joseph-quinn-inspired-gary-oldman-philip-seymour-hoffman-roles/

Excerpt:

“For obvious reasons, Joaquin Phoenix’s performance was something that was in our minds,” Quinn tells Empire, speaking on behalf of Hechinger too. “It was something we had a reverence for, but we didn’t want to.... soil with some kind of poor rendition.” Instead, they drew from other performances of delectable, unapologetic villainy – ones you can’t help but get swept up in, even when rooting for the hero. Among them? Philip Seymour Hoffman’s dreaded Davian in Mission: Impossible III, the man who famously put an explosive charge in Ethan Hunt’s head. See also: “Gary Oldman in The Fifth Element!” says Quinn. “He has this relish for being horrible.”