Gladiator 2 Trailer Previews Paul Mescal-Pedro Pascal Duel

Scoop Harrison

July 9, 2024 | 9:09am ET

Ridley Scott has unveiled the trailer for Gladiator II. The sequel arrives 24 years after Scott’s original Gladiator, which won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture. The sequel opens in theaters in the US on November 22nd, 2024. Watch the newly revealed trailer below.

In place of Russell Crowe, who — spoiler (!) dies at the end of the original film, Gladiator II stars Paul Mescal as Lucius Verus, the former heir to the Empire and nephew of Joaquin Phoenix’s Commodus (who also died in the first film, at the hands of Crowe’s Maximus).

Since the events of the first film, Lucius lost touch with his mother (played by Connie Nielsen, who is returning for the sequel), went into the wilderness, became a prisoner of the Roman army and, much like his hero Maximus, now finds himself forced to fight as a gladiator.

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Alongside Mescal and Nielsen, Gladiator II‘s cast includes Pedro Pascal as Marcus Acacius, a Roman general who trained under Maximus but has since took a turn to the dark side; Denzel Washington as Macrinus, a power broker who keeps a stable of gladiators; and Joseph Quinn as co-emperor Geta. Meanwhile, Derek Jacobi reprises his role from the first film as Senator Gracchus.

Despite having no role in Gladiator II, Crowe recently acknowledged that he was nonetheless “slightly uncomfortable” with the idea of the sequel. “I’m slightly uncomfortable with the fact they’re making another one — because, of course, I’m dead and I have no say in what gets done,” Crowe admitted during a recent appearance with Kyle Meredith With. “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.” Crowe won an Academy Award for his performance as Maximus Decimus Meridius in Gladiator.