(Updated 09/23/2024)
After more than 20 years, filmmaker Ridley Scott has returned to ancient Rome. The director toyed with a sequel to his mega-hit GLADIATOR for many years. In 2022 a story finally came together, and Scott began to assemble the movie in rapid fashion even as he worked on NAPOLEON.
Now GLADIATOR II is set for a Thanksgiving release this year. Here's everything you need to know about Ridley Scott's long-awaited GLADIATOR sequel, including the stunning new trailer.
What's the Gladiator II Release Date?
Paramount Pictures has set November 22, 2024 as the release date for GLADIATOR II. It'll be out in time for the Thanksgiving holiday.
Watch the New Trailer for Gladiator II
The first GLADIATOR II trailer was incredible, and this second trailer tells us more about the movie's story and characters. Paul Mescal fights a guy on a rhino! We see more of the naval battle inside the Coliseum, which is something that actually happened. And the conflict between characters played by Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington, and Pedro Pascal.
What's the Gladiator II Trailer Song?
The first trailer for GLADIATOR II used "No Church in the Wild" by Jay-Z and Kanye West, released in 2011. The lyrics, which include lines like "Blood stains the Coliseum doors" and "Human beings in a mob / What's a mob to a king? / What's a king to a God? / What's a God to a non-believer / Who don't believe in anything? / Will he make it out alive?" make it easy to understand why the team that put this trailer together chose the song.
That said, there's virtually no chance that the movie will actually feature a hip-hop soundtrack. Indeed, the second trailer, above, uses a far more traditional score.
Is Russell Crowe in Gladiator II?
Let's get this question out of the way: Russell Crowe, who won the Best Actor Oscar for the first movie, is not in GLADIATOR II. That is, at least based on current reports. The trailer features old footage fashioned into a flashback, but we don't know if that will be in the final movie. And we do not expect to see new scenes featuring Crowe as Maximus.
What Is Gladiator II About?
GLADIATOR II is about Lucius Verus, the son of Connie Nielsen's character, Lucilla, from GLADIATOR. As a young man, Verus looked at Maximus like a hero, but accidentally let slip details of a plan to return Maximus to power. Ultimately, Maximus saves Lucius from Commodus, and the boy flees Rome.
Scott has said that Lucius has spent the 15 years following GLADIATOR living on his own "in the wilderness," and is presumed dead by his mother. When he returns to Rome, things have changed in significant ways. That is unless you're Ridley Scott or his screenwriter, David Scarpa, who also wrote Scott's film ALL THE MONEY IN THE WORLD.
Who's in the Cast of Gladiator II?
Rising star Paul Mescal (AFTERSUN, ALL OF US STRANGERS) plays Lucius Verus. Opposite Mescal is Denzel Washington, as a former slave who has made a new life as a war-minded merchant. He has no love for the Emperors, Caracalla (Joseph Quinn) and Geta (Fred Hechinger). And Pedro Pascal co-stars as the Roman general Marcus Acacius, who has close connections to Maximus.
Connie Nielsen returns as Lucilla, the mother of Lucius, and Derek Jacobi is back to reprise his GLADIATOR role of Roman Senator Gracchus.
The cast also features May Calamawy, Lior Raz, Peter Mensah, and Matt Lucas. At this point we do not know anything about their roles.
GLADIATOR II opens on November 22.
All images courtesy of Paramount Pictures.