"Gladiator 2" Gets New Trailer

Paramount Pictures has resealed a new trailer for the highly-anticipated sequel to the 2000 historic epic movie “Gladiator“.

Leading the historical epic is Paul Mescal, who landed the plum part of Lucius, the nephew of Joaquin Phoenix's Commodus. He was portrayed as a child by Spencer Treat Clark in the original “Gladiator” movie.

The sequel was announced in 2018 and sees filmmaker Ridley Scott returning as director to the follow-up of his war movie.

Scott is also set to produce the project along with Scott Free President Michael Pruss and Red Wagon Entertainment’s Doug Wick and Lucy Fisher. David Scarpa wrote the screenplay. Paramount will produce the movie.

Universal, which backed the first movie along with DreamWorks, has the right to co-produce the movie once it has been set up.

"Gladiator 2" is described by producers as a “legitimate” follow-up. It is scripted by Peter Craig and will take place in a 25-30 year time jump.

The sequel follows Lucius, the son of Lucilla (Connie Nielsen) in the original — the second daughter of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius and the nephew of Marcus’s son Commodus, who murdered his father to seize the throne.

In Gladiator, Commodus wound up in the gladiator ring with Maximus (Russell Crowe)— who, though mortally wounded, skewered the emperor before fading into the great beyond to reunite with his slain wife and son. Maximus saved the boy and his mother while avenging his own family, and left a strong impression on young Lucius.

The movie was a massive hit and won five Oscars from 11 nominations, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Crowe.

The long-anticipated sequel picks up years later with Lucius now living in the northern African region of Numidia, where he was sent by his mother as a child as it was just outside the reach of the Roman Empire. Events bring Lucius back to Rome as a gladiator, where he makes new enemies and reunites with his mother.

The cast also features Pedro Pascal as Marcus Acacius, a Roman general who trained under the command of Maximus Decimus Meridius, Denzel Washington as Macrinus, a wealthy powerbroker in Rome who keeps a stable of gladiators for sport, and Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger as the twin emperors of Rome.

Also reprising his role from the first movie will be Derek Jacobi, who played Senator Gracchus. Crowe isn’t in the sequel as his character dies in the first movie.

Douglas Wick, Scott, Lucy Fisher, Michael Pruss, and David Franzoni produced, with Walter Parkes, Laurie MacDonald, Raymond Kirk, and Aidan Elliott serving as executive producers.

Scott recently told Vanity Fair that he became a fan of Mescal’s after watching the actor’s breakthrough performance in “Normal People”. The two men only spoke for about a half hour when Scott decided that Mescal was his “Gladiator 2” lead. 

Mescal bulked up so much for the film that co-star Pascal told the publication it was quite challenging having to face off against him in the arena. Pascal even gave Mescal a nickname on set: “Brick Wall Paul.”

“He got so strong. I would rather be thrown from a building than have to fight him again,” Pascal added. “To go up against somebody that fit and that talented and that much younger…It’s brutal, man.”

Paramount Pictures is distributing the sequel to “Gladiator” globally. The sequel will open on November 22. "Gladiator II" is set to open against the first chapter of Universal Pictures’ "Wicked", along with the Angel Studios drama Bonhoeffer.