After nearly a quarter of a century, Ridley Scott (Alien) has made a sequel to the Russell Crowe epic, Gladiator, with Gladiator II set to be released at the end of the year. It stars Paul Mescal (Aftersun) as Lucius Verus, the son of Lucilla from the original film. Connie Nielsen (Wonder Woman) returns as Lucilla, and they are joined by Pedro Pascal (The Last of Us), Denzel Washington (Training Day), Joseph Quinn (Stranger Things), and Fred Hechinger (The Pale Blue Eye). Gladiator II was written by David Scarpa (Napoleon), and you can watch its first trailer below.
Gladiator II takes place decades after the original film, allowing Lucius to grow into Mescal. Washington is playing Macrinus, a man who seemingly using Lucius in the arena for his own gain. Quinn and Hechinger play the young emperors Geta and Caracalla, while Pascal plays General Marcus Acacius. Although unseen, Acacius trained under Maximus (Crowe’s character from Gladiator) while he was in the Roman army. With giant elaborate sieges, a rhinoceros, and ship battles in a flooded Colosseum, the trailer makes Gladiator II seem bigger than the first film in every single way.
Gladiator II‘s trailer shows off a decadent Rome, which might be why the film cost so much to make. The film’s budget has been a topic of debate, but it seems as if the total might be around $250 million. It’s set to release at the end of the year, on November 22, 2024, and we’ll need to see if it comes close to making the money back. Although, based on the trailer, you’ll probably want to see Gladiator II at the largest and loudest theater you can find.
You can watch Gladiator II on November 22, 2024.
