The first trailer for Ridley Scott's Gladiator 2, starring Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, and Denzel Washington, is here.
The trailer begins with Lucius Verus (Mescal) staring at Maximus's (Russell Crowe) armor from the first movie. Flashbacks are then shown as a young Lucius Verus sees Maximus conquer his enemies in the arena.
“I remember that day — I never forgot it,” he said. “That a slave could take revenge against an emperor.”
He is explaining his unknown origins to Macrinus (Washington), who wants to use Lucius as an “instrument.”
A beautiful aerial shot of the Colosseum is shown, which is filled with water. Glimpses of some of the events are shown as co-emperor Geta (Joseph Quinn) watches on, amused.
Shots of battles and Lucius training follow. Macrinus promises that he sees potential in Lucius that he wants to fulfill. “That rage is your gift,” he tells him.
By the halfway point of the trailer, Lucius has grown into a leadership role. He gives orders to his fellow warriors as they take on a bloodied rhinoceros.
Later, when asked by Macrinus whose head would satisfy his fury, Lucius replies, “The entire Roman army's.”
That is too much, but he will settle for revenge against the general, Marcus Acacius (Pascal).
Towards the end of the trailer, Lucilla (Connie Nielsen), Lucius' mother, gifts him a ring worn by Maximus. “What is the dram of Rome if our people are not free?” she ponders.
The Gladiator 2 trailer concludes with Lucius and Marcus battling. A quick glimpse of Lucius beheading someone hits the screen before it officially ends.
What is Gladiator 2 about?
Gladiator 2 takes place decades after the events of the first movie. Lucius, the grandson of Marcus Aurelius and son of Lucilla, has a quiet life with his wife and child. However, after Roman soldiers led by Marcus Acacius invade, he is forced into slavery.
Like Maximus, Lucius has to fight his way to freedom as a gladiator. There are several forces pushing against him aside from Marcus, including young co-emperors Caracalla (Fred Hechinger) and Geta (Joseph Quinn).
While Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, and Denzel Washington lead the cast, they are all new to the franchise. Connie Nielsen and Derek Jacobi will reprise their roles from the first movie.
Ridley Scott once again directs Gladiator 2. He directed the first movie based on a script from David Franzoni, John Logan, and Willian Nicholson. The sequel features a completely different writers' room, only consisting of David Scarpa.
Despite being 86 years old, Scott continues going strong as a filmmaker. He first gained notoriety for directing Alien and Blade Runner. Since then, he has continued churning out movies at a rapid pace.
Over the past decade, Scott has made eight movies, including Gladiator 2. These include 2021's double feature of The Last Duel and House of Gucci. His last movie — Napoleon — came out on November 22, 2023.
Gladiator remains one of Scott's biggest successes. Not only did it make over $460 million worldwide, the movie was up for 12 Oscars. It won five awards including Best Picture and Best Actor for Russell Crowe.
Gladiator 2 will be released on November 22.
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