Watch the trailer for Ridley Scott’s ‘Gladiator II’ starring Paul Mescal and Pedro Pascal
The first trailer for Ridley Scott’s upcoming epic historical drama film Gladiator II has now been released and can be viewed at the bottom of this page. Much anticipation has surrounded the sequel to the original movie of 2000 starring Russell Crowe, and now the release of the first trailer has ramped up the excitement another notch.
The film features Paul Mescal in the biggest role of his career so far as Lucius, the former heir to the Roman Empire who becomes a gladiator after living in estrangement for many years. When his home town is invaded by the Roman Army, led by General Marcus Acacius (Pedro Pascal) during the reign of co-emperors Caracalla and Geta, he vows to oppose their rule, inspired by the story of Maximus from the original film.
Connie Nielsen reprises her role as Lucius’ mother, Lucilla, while Denzel Washington plays Macrinus, a potentially manipulative tutor to Lucius, who keeps a stable of Gladiators. Elsewhere, the cast comprises Derek Jacobi, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger, Tim McInnerny, and Alexander Karim.
The trailer sees Lucius claim that he remembers the day that Maximus fought and killed Joaquin Phoenix’s Emperor Commodus, touching the legendary former Army General’s suit of armour. Macrinus then admits that he will use the young gladiator as his “instrument,” with both characters expressing their desire to see Rome “fall.”
The Gladiator II trailer has moments of humour, particularly from Denzel Washington. However, they are largely overshadowed by intense scenes of dramatic dialogue and action-heavy set pieces in the gladiator’s arena, in which Mescal and his fighting allies take up their swords to fight to the death.
Gladiator II has been in development for many years, but it was around 2021 that it began to gain traction as a genuine possibility. When Mescal, Pascal and Quinn were announced to have joined the cast in 2023, excitement began to grow for what may well be the most significant cinematic moment of the year, with the film set to be released on November 15th in the United Kingdom and November 22nd in the United States.
Ridley Scott had recently spoken of Mescal’s casting and said that he was “absolutely perfect” for the role of Lucius. He told Vanity Fair, “I met with him, and he said, ‘Of course, I’d love to do it.’ And that was it. We were away and running with the ball. He was a special find. He was absolutely perfect.”
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