Thumbs up: more than 20 years after the original film arrived in cinemas, Gladiator is making a return to the ring. Gladiator 2 – or to give it its correct Roman title, Gladiator II – is set to be a big autumn blockbuster for director Ridley Scott and make amphitheatre-filling stars of its lead actors.
The epic historical drama will once again take viewers back to the Roman empire, circa 180 AD, where violence is a way of life and gladiators fight for fame, revenge and honour. Scott will presumably be hoping to repeat the success of his first film, which won five Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Russell Crowe. But two decades on, will it win the approval of the baying mob?
Here’s everything we know about the film so far:
When is Gladiator II out?
There’s not long to wait now, as Gladiator II will be released in the UK first (hurrah!) on 15 November, followed by the US and Canada on 22 November.
Is there a trailer for Gladiator II?
Yes! Yes there is! It’s right up there.
Who is in the cast for Gladiator II?
With the previous heavyweight actors Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix obviously not a part of this newer production, the two men to step into their sizeable Roman boots are Paul Mescal and Pedro Pascal.
Mescal plays Lucius Verus, the adult son of Lucilla from the first film (Connie Nielsen, who also makes a return in this film in the same role). While Lucius was a child, his mother sent him away to Africa to a region called Numidia – and in adulthood, it’s a decision that he has grown to resent. 20 years later, estranged from his mother, he’s carved his own reputation as a warrior. “He’s unafraid of the establishment in a way that makes him dangerous to the establishment,” he told Vanity Fair.
Pascal plays Marcus Acacius, a Roman general said to have trained as a junior officer under Maximus in the first film. Also speaking to Vanity Fair, he described him as a fighter who: “learned from the best, so of course this code of honour is ingrained into his training and into his existence. But at the end of the day, he’s a different person. And that can’t change who he is. Maximus is Maximus, and that can’t be replicated. That just makes Acacius capable of different things.”
Denzel Washington plays a dashing powerbroker named Macrinus, who according to Scott “is an arms dealer who supplies food for the armies in Europe, supplies wine and oil, makes steel, makes spears, weapons, cannons, and catapults. So he is a very wealthy man.”
Two brothers currently rule the falling Rome, with Fred Hechinger as Emperor Caracalla and Joseph Quinn as Emperor Geta. Derek Jacobi returns as Senator Gracchus, a member of the Roman Senate who opposes the growing corruption of the Imperial court.
Also appearing are Lior Raz, Peter Mensah, Matt Lucas, May Calamawy, Tim McInnerny and Alexander Karim.
Barry Keoghan had been in talks to play Geta, but they fell through, and Djimon Hounsou, who played Juba, announced he would not be returning due to scheduling conflicts.
What’s going to happen in Gladiator II?
Roman troops attack Numidia and take Lucius hostage as a prisoner of war. When he’s forced to fight in the Colosseum, he sees his mum for the first time in 20 years in the crowd with her new BF, Acacius, the very man who captured Lucius.
There will obviously be many fight scenes between the two men. Pascal told Vanity Fair he had his own nickname for the beefed-up Mescal: “It’s brutal, man. I call him Brick Wall Paul. He got so strong. I would rather be thrown from a building than have to fight him again.” Mescal responded: “I just wanted to be big and strong and look like somebody who can cause a bit of damage when shit hits the fan.”
The subplot of the two emperor brothers looks set to play another big part of the production, with the characters – inspired by the true-life story of Romulus and Remus – being described as “sadistic”. -esquire
Video -Paramount Pictures
