Gladiator II: Everything you need to know about Ridley Scott and Paul Mescal’s eagerly awaited blockbuster sequel

Are we excited? Just a bit. All eyes are, of course, on Paul Mescal, as Maynooth’s finest makes the leap from Oscar-nominated independent favourite to big-screen blockbuster icon.

Mescal is the film’s lead, and this is his movie star moment. Will it all work out? Time will tell. But who else is in Gladiator II, how much did it cost to make, and what took it so long to get here? Let’s find out…

Gladiator II - Official trailer

What is Gladiator II about?

Gladiator II picks up a couple of decades after the original film — and one thing is certain: there will be fightin’, and lots of it.

Paul Mescal leads the charge as Lucius Verus, grandson of Rome’s former emperor Marcus Aurelius and son of Lucilla. For whatever reason, Lucius abandoned the family business and retreated to “the wilderness”, establishing a quiet life with his wife and child in northwest Africa.

These things rarely work out — and, after general Marcus Acacius’s soldiers invade the kingdom of Numidia, poor Lucius becomes a prisoner of the Roman army. Forced into slavery, his only option is to follow in the footsteps of the legendary Maximus (portrayed in the first film by an Academy Award-winning Russell Crowe).

In other words, a new gladiator has entered the arena. Bring it on.

How did Paul Mescal land the lead role in Gladiator II?

Director Ridley Scott arranged a meeting with Mescal after watching him in Normal People. Mescal recently told Vanity Fair that the meeting lasted 30 minutes, and that they spoke about two things: the script, and Gaelic football.

An unusual combo, but Mescal must have said something right. Within three weeks, he was offered the part.

Industry reports suggest Austin Butler, Richard Madden and Miles Teller were also in the running, but Mescal emerged victorious, and the 28-year-old actor believes his nose might have had something to do with it.

“My nose just is kind of Roman,” he explained. “So, it’s useful in this context. The nose that I absolutely hated when I was in secondary school — and used to get ribbed for — became very, very useful when Ridley needed somebody to be in Gladiator II.”

Did Paul Mescal bulk up for his role in Gladiator II?

Maynooth’s finest was already in tremendous shape ahead of the film’s production, but yes, Mescal hit the gym for Gladiator II, and you had best believe he took his training seriously.

“I just wanted to be big and strong and look like somebody who can cause a bit of damage when shit hits the fan,” he told Vanity Fair. Apparently, Mescal’s co-star, the great Pedro Pascal, started calling him “Brick Wall Paul” on set.

A fabulous moniker, and we hope to see it on T-shirts everywhere by the end of the year.

Who else is in Gladiator II?

Mescal (our new gladiator) and Pascal (general Marcus Acacius, the film’s antagonist) lead the way. In support, we have Connie Nielsen, reprising her role as Lucilla from the original film. Derek Jacobi also returns as Senator Gracchus.

Meanwhile, Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger portray co-emperors Geta and Caracalla, and the inimitable Denzel Washington is Macrinus, a cruel power broker who keeps a stable of gladiators for sport.

Our own Barry Keoghan had been due to star likewise, Djimon Hounsou, who played Maximus’s ally Juba in the first film, was supposed to return. Alas, both actors had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts.

How much did Gladiator II cost to produce?

This is where things get expensive. Ridley Scott is said to have acquired an initial budget of $165m. A sizeable figure, and by the time Gladiator II finished shooting, there were reports that it had expanded to an eye-watering $310m. The folks at Paramount Pictures say the budget was closer to the $250m mark.

Whatever the case, Scott’s latest picture cost a bloody fortune, and it’ll need to make an enormous impact at the box-office.

How long has Gladiator II been in the works?

They’ve been trying to get this one off the ground for 23 years. The issue, it seems, was figuring out how to make a Gladiator sequel without Russell Crowe’s Maximus, who died in the original.

For years, filmmakers wanted to bring him back from the dead. At one point, Nick Cave was commissioned to write the screenplay. Cave’s proposed Gladiator sequel (tentatively titled ‘Christ Killer’) was positively bananas and is said to have involved a resurrected Maximus – freed from purgatory by the Roman gods and tasked with killing Jesus Christ – living an immortal existence on earth after he accidentally murders his own son. Or something.

Maximus then spends the next 2,000 years fighting in every major global battle until finally, he lands a position at the Pentagon. Legend has it that when Crowe read the screenplay, he immediately rejected it, saying “Don’t like it, mate.”

In November 2018, Paramount finally greenlit a sequel (not the Nick Cave one), and pre-production commenced on Gladiator II.

Is Russell Crowe in Gladiator II?

Sadly, Mr Crowe will not appear in the sequel. Speaking to podcaster Kyle Meredith in June, Crowe said he was “slightly uncomfortable” with the idea of a Gladiator follow-up that doesn’t feature Maximus.

“Because, of course, [my character is] dead,” he explained, “and I have no say in what gets done. But a couple of the things I’ve heard, I’m like, ‘No, no, no, that’s not in the moral journey of that particular character.’ But I can’t say anything, it’s not my place, I’m six-foot under. So, we’ll see what that is like.”

When is Gladiator II released in cinemas?

The film lands in Irish cinemas on November 15. Meanwhile, in the US, it’ll share a release date with the first Wicked instalment (November 22).

Already, some commentators are trying to kickstart the next Barbenheimer phenomenon. They call it ‘Wickiator’. Will it become a thing? Not likely, but let’s hope Gladiator II finds its audience. Mescal certainly deserves it.