“Gladiator II” is almost here, and we have our first look at the new epic from director Ridley Scott starring Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Denzel Washington, Connie Nielsen, and Joseph Quinn.
The premise: Set more than two decades after the events of the first film, Lucius (Mescal) -- the grandson of Rome’s former emperor Marcus Aurelius and son of Lucilla (Nielsen) -- lives with his wife and child in Numidia. Roman soldiers led by general Marcus Acacius (Pascal) invade, forcing Lucius into slavery., Lucius then fights as a gladiator while opposing the rule of the young emperors.
It follows Scott’s 2000 hit “Gladiator,” which starred Russell Crowe as Roman general Maximus Decimus Meridius, who was betrayed when the emperor’s jealous son murders his own father and seizes the throne, forcing Maximus to fight as a gladiator and avenge the murders of his family.
The film grossed more than $465 million worldwide and won Oscars for best picture, actor (Crowe), visual effects, sound and costume design. It also established Crowe as a mega-star leading man in Hollywood.
Could the sequel send Mescal into a similar stratosphere. Already an Oscar nominee for his work in “Aftersun,” Mescal also previously starred in the series “Normal People” and in last year’s critically acclaimed film “All of Us Strangers.”
Washington appears to play a power broker and mentor figure to Mescal’s Lucius, seemingly in a similar role to Oliver Reed’s gruff gladiator trainer Antonius Proximo in the first film.
Along with “Gladiator,” Ridley Scott has also directed “Alien,” “Blade Runner,” “Kingdom of Heaven,” “Black Hawk Down” and 2023′s “Napoleon.”
“Gladiator II” opens in theaters everywhere Nov. 22, 2024. Watch the trailer above.