It’s here. Paramount Pictures has released the first trailer for Ridley Scott’s much-anticipated sequel, Gladiator II.
Over two decades after the original Gladiator film captivated audiences worldwide and garnered five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, the next chapter will arrive on November 22.
Gladiator II stars Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Denzel Washington, Joseph Quinn and Connie Nielsen, with Nielsen reprising her role from the original film. Set several decades after the death of Russell Crowe’s iconic character Maximus, the sequel follows Lucius, played by Mescal, the grandson of the former emperor Marcus Aurelius. The plot thickens as Lucius is forced into slavery by Roman soldiers under the command of the ruthless Marcus Acacius, portrayed by Pascal, and thrust into the brutal world of gladiatorial combat.
One of the most exciting additions to the cast is Denzel Washington, who steps into the sandals of Macrinus, a wealthy arms dealer with a penchant for using gladiators to entertain the Roman elite.
The trailer also gives fans their first look at the film’s main antagonists, the twin emperors Caracalla and Geta, played by Fred Hechinger and Quinn, respectively. The twins’ megalomaniacal rule adds a dramatic backdrop to the gladiatorial battles and political maneuvering of the sequel.
Check out the trailer below.
