The first look at Ridley Scott's Gladiator 2 has been unveiled and offers glimpses of Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, and Joseph Quinn.
Vanity Fair broke the story with the new images. The headlining Gladiator 2 image shows Lucius (Paul Mescal) and Acacius (Pedro Pascal) squaring off in battle. Other notable images from the sequel in the story show close-ups of both Mescal and Pascal.
In the movie, Denzel Washington plays Macrinus, an “arms dealer who lives lavishly and keeps a stable of gladiators for sport.” The first image of the character shows Washington wearing a blue and gold outfit while sitting on a golden throne.
Gladiator 2 will feature the returns of Connie Nielsen and Derek Jacobi as Lucilla and Senator Gracchus, respectively. The former plays the mother of Lucius and is shown holding a ring in the image of her.
“Lucilla really only had one weakness, and that is her child,” Nielsen teased.
Later in the article, Joseph Quinn is seen as Emperor Geta. He is donning orange hair and a crown in the image. The following image shows Mescal fighting off several guards with a sword.
Another image shows a bloodied Mescal in a picture that resembles Russell Crowe in the first movie. Speaking of Crowe, a different image sees Lucius looking at the armor worn by Maximus (Crowe) in the first movie.
What is Gladiator 2 about?
Gladiator 2 is the long-awaited sequel to Scott's 2000 movie. It takes place years after the events of the first movie.
Per the Vanity Fair report, the synopsis reads: “As Gladiator II picks up her story, decades have passed and Lucius has come of age far away from his mother. While he was still a child, Lucilla sent him to the northern coast of Africa, to a region called Numidia that was (at that point) just outside the reach of the Roman Empire. He never fully understood why, and as he grew stronger, so did his resentment—even if his mother’s reasons had been pure.”
Nielsen compared the movie to Sophie's Choice due to the “impossible situations that we are being forced to reckon with.”
The first Gladiator movie is one of Ridley Scott's biggest successes. It grossed over $460 million worldwide on a $103 million budget. Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix starred in it with Connie Nielsen, Tomas Arana, and Djimon Hounsou.
It followed Maximus after being betrayed by Commodus (Phoenix). He has to fight his way through the ranks of the arena to avenge the deaths of his family.
At the Oscars, Gladiator was nominated for 12 awards. These include Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Crowe), and Best Supporting Actor (Phoenix). It won five awards including Best Picture.
Who is in the sequel?
Now, the sequel features some rising stars and established ones such as Denzel Washington. Paul Mescal leads the ensemble and is best known for his breakout role in Normal People. He has also starred in movies such as The Lost Daughter and Aftersun, earning a Best Actor Oscar nomination for his performance in the latter.
Pedro Pascal and Joseph Quinn are also in the cast. The former is known for starring in The Mandalorian and The Last of Us, while the latter is known for his role in Stranger Things. Coming up, the two will star in the MCU Fantastic Four movie together.
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