Paul Mescal Paramount Pictures
Ridley Scott‘s Gladiator sequel has been in development for years, and the film is finally coming together — and to theaters soon — with an A-list cast.
Scott directed the 2000 historical drama starring Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Oliver Reed and more. The film was a hit at the box office and took home five trophies at the Academy Awards in 2001, including Best Picture.
Discussions quickly began about either a prequel or a sequel. Scott initially announced in 2003 that the script for a follow-up film was completed, but plans were put on pause in 2006 after DreamWorks Pictures was sold to Paramount. The sequel was officially greenlit 12 years later.
It wasn’t until January 2023 that Gladiator 2 found its leading man. Paul Mescal, whose career took off after the release of Hulu’s Normal People in 2020, captivated execs with his performance in a West End production of A Streetcar Named Desire. Later that year, Pedro Pascal and Stranger Things breakout star Joseph Quinn were confirmed to be joining Mescal.
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When filming wrapped, Mescal hinted that he wasn’t quite prepared to be a big movie star following his roles in After Sun, All of Us Strangers and other smaller budget flicks. “I don’t know what the difference will be. Maybe that’s naive?” he told The Times in January 2024. “Is it just that more people will stop you in the street? I’d get profoundly depressed if that’s so and hope it isn’t true.”
He added: “I’ll have an answer next year, but if [the film] impacts my life in that way, I’ll be in a bad spot. I’d have to move on and do an obtuse play nobody wants to see.”
Scroll down to learn more about Gladiator 2:
Who Stars in ‘Gladiator 2’?
Denzel Washington Paramount Pictures
Along with Mescal, Quinn and Pascal, the movie stars Denzel Washington. Original Gladiator stars Connie Nielsen and Derek Jacobi will reprise their roles as Lucilla and Senator Gracchus, respectively.
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What Is ‘Gladiator 2’ About?
Paul Mescal Paramount Pictures
Details of the plot have largely been kept under wraps, but the film takes place decades after the events of the original and follows Lucius (Mescal), the son of Lucilla and nephew of Commodus (played by Phoenix in the 2000 movie).
When Will ‘Gladiator 2’ Be Released?
Gladiator 2 is set to hit theaters in November 2024.
Is There a Trailer for ‘Gladiator 2’?
Paramount Pictures released the official trailer in July 2024 and there was no shortage of masculine energy, fights and display of heroism. The clip briefly pays homage to Crowe’s Maximus, showing his battle in the Coliseum, before revealing that Lucius (Mescal), the son of Maximus’s love, Lucilla (Nielsen), “never forgot” that day.
“You will be my instrument,” Washington’s Macrinus vows, while inspiring Lucius to fight for his own legacy. As images of war, bloodshed and Roman rulers who don’t care about their people flash across the screen, Lucius’ journey begins to unfold.
Macrinus tells Lucius at one point that “rage is your gift” as the beefed-up gladiator prepares to take on a rhino at the Coliseum before facing off against his greatest foe, the Roman General Marcus Acacius (Pascal). The trailer ends with Lucius and Acacius coming face to face in the arena as all of Rome looks down on them.
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