Denzel Washington Predicted To Land 3rd Oscar With ‘Gladiator II’

by Stacy Jackson

August 28, 2024

If the “Gladiator II” actor is nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the 2025 Academy Awards, he will become a 10-time Oscar nominee.

Actor and film producer Denzel Washington might be on his way to accepting a third Academy Award with his role in “Gladiator II,” a win that would add him to an exclusive list of three-time Oscar-winning recipients.

Washington stars as “Marcinus” in Ridley Scott’s 2024 remake of the 2000 action film that won Best Picture. According to predictions from Gold Derby, the two-time Oscar winner will likely appear as a nominee for Best Supporting Actor, bringing him to a total of 10 Oscar nominations. Washington has been nominated for Best Supporting Actor twice for “Cry Freedom” (1988) and “Glory” (1990). If victorious in the category at the 2025 Academy Awards, the achievement would mark 22 years since his last win for “Training Day” (2002).

According to IMDB, Washington stars alongside Paul Mescal, who plays the role of Lucius, Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius’ grandson. As Lucius fights to return the glory of Rome from the power of tyrannical emperors, Marcinus, in opposition to the rule of the emperors, leads Lucius as his mentor.

“There are very few films left for me to make that I’m interested in,” Washington told Empire. “I have to be inspired by the filmmaker, and I was tremendously inspired by Ridley.”

The Gladiator II actor is expected to join other Hollywood powerhouses as a Best Supporting Actor nominee, including Samuel L. Jackson, Clarence Maclin, Kieran Culkin, and Stanley Tucci. If he reaches 10 nominations, Washington will hold the same amount of bids as Bette Davis and Laurence Olivier.

Aside from “Training Day,” Washington has been up for an Oscar in the Best Actor category six other times for his roles in “Malcolm X” (1993), “The Hurricane” (2000), “Flight” (2013), “Fences” (2017), “Roman J. Israel, Esq.” (2018), and “The Tragedy of Macbeth” (2022).

The 2025 Academy Awards ceremony will be held on March 2, 2025, at 7 p.m. EST/4 p.m. PST on ABC. “Gladiator II will be released on Nov. 22, 2024.

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