Ridley Scott’s hit 2000 blockbuster Gladiator is finally getting a sequel. The new film, appropriately-titled Gladiator II, will follow Paul Mescal as Lucius, who must become a gladiator after the Roman army invades his home. Fans can see the beginning of this new story in the Gladiator 2 trailer shared below.
Lucius, of course, is the young child from the first Gladiator movie. While he is the son of Roman Empress Lucilla and Lucius Verus, many fans have since theorized that he could actually be the son of Russell Crowe‘s Maximus. It’s possible that we may even learn of his potential affair with Lucilla in the sequel, though for now we know young Lucius will use what he learned from Maximus to make his own way as a gladiator.
It’s an interesting premise for a sequel, especially so many decades after the first movie was released. And, in addition to Mescal as the young gladiator, fans can also expect to see Pedro Pascal, Connie Nielsen, and Denzel Washington.
Here’s the official trailer for Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II:
Original Gladiator director Ridley Scott returned to direct the highly-anticipated sequel. The screenplay was written by David Scarpa.
A sequel to the original Gladiator had been discussed ever since the first film was released. Now, more than two decades later, it’s finally happening. It’s a massive endeavor for Paramount, with the budget ranging between $250 million and $310 million. Hopefully, then, the sequel will be able to perform well enough at the box office – and, if not, hopefully fans will at least be satisfied by this continuation of the epic historical drama which managed to make $465.4 million at the box office in 2000.
Stay tuned to ScreenGeek for any additional updates regarding Gladiator II as we have them. Hopefully this long-awaited sequel to Ridley Scott’s modern classic will meet the expectations of fans. In the meantime, this trailer delivers an exciting look at the film’s epic story.