The official trailer for Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II has dropped, and the scale of this epic drama looks positively breathtaking.
The time has nearly arrived for a real look at Ridley Scott‘s anticipated sequel to his 2000 Best Picture winner. After months (and months) of buzz thanks to the huge budget, it looks like Ridley Scott’s sequel gamble has paid off in a big way. The footage here is nothing short of incredible, with sharks in the colliseum, massive battles, Denzel Washington being ultra-Machiavellian, and Paul Mescal’s Lucius going up against Pedro Pascal’s Marcys Acacius in the arena. Chills people. CHILLS! The cast includes Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger, Lior Raz, Derek Jacobi, with Connie Nielsen and Denzel Washington. The screenplay was penned by David Scarpa.
Here’s the official synopsis from Paramount Pictures, who are releasing the film on November 22nd:
From legendary director Ridley Scott, Gladiator II continues the epic saga of power, intrigue, and vengeance set in Ancient Rome. Years after witnessing the death of the revered hero Maximus at the hands of his uncle, Lucius (Paul Mescal) is forced to enter the Colosseum after his home is conquered by the tyrannical Emperors who now lead Rome with an iron fist. With rage in his heart and the future of the Empire at stake, Lucius must look to his past to find strength and honor to return the glory of Rome to its people.
While Russell Crowe was openly critical of the script for the original Gladiator, saying there were only 26 useful pages in the whole thing, Mescal feels the opposite about the Gladiator II script. He told Vanity Fair the sequel is about, “What human beings will do to survive, but also what human beings will do to win. We see that in the arena, but also in the political struggle that’s going on outside of my character’s storyline, where you see there’s other characters striving and pulling for power. Where’s the space for humanity? Where’s the space for love, familial connection? And ultimately, will those things overcome this kind of greed and power? Those things are oftentimes directly in conflict with each other.“