Napoleon may not have been the hit that Ridley Scott was hoping for, but he’s coming back to an ol’ reliable franchise with Gladiator—and he’s cast two of the hottest actors today as the leads.
Check out Paul Mescal and Pedro Pascal facing off in the trailer Gladiator II:
The official synopsis for the film reads:
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.
The movie is essentially a reboot/sequel with Mescal’s Lucius taking over the role of a misplaced warrior that originally belonged to Maximus. Denzel Washington’s Macrinus also looks to be Lucius’ mentor in the way that Oliver Reed played Proximo in the first movie.
When it comes to Pascal’s character though, he may not be a royal, but he does have a history with Maximus; he’s said to have been one of his generals when he was still a commander in the army. And in lieu of one corrupt emperor, the movie gives audiences two monarchs with Caracalla (Fred Hechinger) and Geta (Joseph Quinn).
So far, Connie Nielsen is the only cast member to reprise her role from the original film.
Despite all the similarities with the original Gladiator story, I am hoping for something new storywise. Of course, there is the spectacle of the arena; and it’s going to be interesting to see what kind of games the emperors can come up with.
Gladiator II is set to hit theatres on Nov. 14.
