Heading into the second half of 2024 movie schedulethere are those movies that the world is waiting for with bated breath. And at any time Gladiator II mentioned in the company of the cinematically inclined, there is more than likely a sense of cautious optimism that fills the air. That vibe is about to change, for better or worse, as the first trailer for Paramount and the director Ridley Scotts legacy-quel has now shown us Paul Mescal in action. And that includes him facing a rhinoceros, as well as an all-out Roman war. Let’s break it all down.
Recently all hell breaks loose on the world, the first public look at Gladiator II majesty, and to be clear, we are light years away from Nick Cave’s wild reincarnation concept. The film takes place decades after the original, and there is still a great class war going on between slaves and those in power. Paul Mescal’s Lucius Verus was inspired by how Maximus killed Joaquin Phoenix Commodus, and has spent years in the wilderness.
Former returning co-stars Connie Nielsen teased Gladiator II as a “magnificent spectacle”, and no it’s not just directed at Paul Mescal and his totally buff physique. Her character Lucilla is featured a number of times throughout this first trailer, including handing over Maximus’ ring to Lucius. It’s clear that she doesn’t realize that it’s actually her son as a grown man, and it should be interesting to see their relationship unfold before us.
Speaking of Paul Mescal’s efforts are wearing thinthat the work has clearly yielded results. Also in the first pictures from Gladiator II made it quite clear, with the fully grown Lucius feeling the sand as his late mentor Maximus would. I mean, it’s an image so iconic you could put it on a teaser poster. And if you look below, you’ll see that Paramount Pictures knew the mission and killed it:
The first one Gladiator had some exciting action, and it looks like Ridley Scott is going to keep it going. While the first film featured Maximus fighting the tigers, this time the big animal enemy is a rhinoceros. And that doesn’t include all the war sequences we’re shown, and the man-on-man battles that will occur inside the Coliseum.
Of course, we could go on and on about our new hero, but Gladiator II throw is so impressive that we have to talk about some of the other people we’ve seen in action here. It includes Joseph Quinn‘s Geta, one of the new emperors in charge of Rome. He and his brother seem to have no feeling for the common people and like to starve them out when they fight a war. Then there is Denzel WashingtonMacrinus, in charge of the gladiators. Although from the photos it looks like he may have bigger plans in the works for the sequel.
Some of these exciting movies we knew were coming, like Gladiator II CinemaCon movies offered a sneak peek for those lucky enough to attend the event. But now that we can all witness the epic action and tie-ins to Ridley Scott’s original film, anticipation for the blockbuster will no doubt heat up.
Gladiator II is preparing to usher in a new era of strength and glory, starting on November 22nd. If these words have you ready to revisit Russell Crowes classic predecessor you can currently stream Gladiator through several sources, including through a Paramount+ subscription.
