Gladiator 2

''Gladiator II'' is an upcoming epic historical action film directed and co-produced by Ridley Scott. Serving as a sequel to ''Gladiator'' (2000), the film was written by David Scarpa, from a story he wrote with Peter Craig, and stars Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger, Connie Nielsen, and Denzel Washington. Nielsen and Derek Jacobi reprise their roles from the first film. It was produced by Scott Free Productions in association with Red Wagon Entertainment and Parkes+MacDonald Image Nation for Paramount Pictures. The story follows Lucius, the former heir to the Roman Empire, who becomes a gladiator after his home is invaded by the Roman army, led by General Marcus Acacius, during the reign of the co-emperors Caracalla and Geta.

A sequel to ''Gladiator'' was discussed as early as June 2001, with David Franzoni and John Logan set to return as screenwriters. Over the next few years, Scott offered occasional updates, including the possible involvement of the original film's lead actor, Russell Crowe, along with plot ideas about the Roman afterlife and different historical time periods. Development was halted when DreamWorks sold the rights to the property to Paramount in 2006. The film was finally announced in 2018, and Mescal was cast in the lead role in January 2023, with a script by Scarpa. The rest of the cast signed on over the next several months. Filming took place between June 2023 and January 2024, with a five-month hiatus due to the 2023 Hollywood labor disputes.

''Gladiator II'' is scheduled to be released internationally, including the United Kingdom, on November 15, 2024, and later in the United States and Canada on November 22. A sequel titled ''Gladiator III'' is in development.

Premise

Over two decades after the events of ''Gladiator'' (2000), Lucius—the grandson of Rome's former emperor Marcus Aurelius and son of Lucilla—lives with his wife and child in Numidia. Roman soldiers led by General Marcus Acacius invade, forcing Lucius into slavery. Inspired by the story of Maximus, as depicted in the 2000 film, Lucius resolves to fight as a gladiator under the tutelage of Macrinus, a power broker who opposes the rule of the young emperors Caracalla and Geta.

Cast

* Paul Mescal as Lucius Verus: The former heir to the Empire. He lives with his wife and child in a coastal town in Numidia, and has had no connection with his mother for around 15 years. He is taken prisoner by the Roman army after they invade his home, and is forced to fight as a gladiator. He was portrayed by Spencer Treat Clark in ''Gladiator'' (2000).
* Pedro Pascal as Marcus Acacius: A Roman general who trained under Maximus (the main character in ''Gladiator''). He leads an army to take over North Africa, but does not wish to send more men to war for the emperors. He fights Lucius in the Colosseum. According to Pascal, he is "a very, very good general, which can mean a very good killer", and is a symbol to Lucius of everything he hates.
* Joseph Quinn as Emperor Geta (based on the historical figure Geta): The co-emperor of Rome alongside his brother, Caracalla. Director Ridley Scott described the pair as "damaged goods from birth" who are "almost a replay of Romulus and Remus". Careful to not "soil" Joaquin Phoenix's performance as Commodus from the original film, Quinn said that he took inspiration from Philip Seymour Hoffman's Owen Davian from '' Mission: Impossible III'' (2006) and Gary Oldman's Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg from '' The Fifth Element'' (1997) for playing his character.
* Fred Hechinger as Emperor Caracalla (based on the historical figure Caracalla): The co-emperor of Rome alongside his brother, Geta. Scott described the pair as "damaged goods from birth" who are "almost a replay of Romulus and Remus". Careful to not "soil" Joaquin Phoenix's performance as Commodus from the original film, Hechinger discussed with Scott about finding inspirations to build Caracalla's look from Sid Vicious.
* Connie Nielsen as Lucilla (based on the historical figure Lucilla): Lucius's mother. She associates with Acacius and watches Lucius fight in the arena, but does not recognize him as her son. Nielsen reprises her role from the original film.
* Denzel Washington as Macrinus: A former slave who plots to control Rome. He keeps a stable of gladiators and mentors Lucius. He also works as an arms dealer, while providing food and oil to the armies in Europe. Scott described him as "pretty fucking cruel" to the arena fighters, with Washington adding that he "wants to be Emperor and he's willing to do anything to get there".
* Derek Jacobi as Senator Gracchus: A member of the Roman Senate who opposes the growing corruption of the imperial court. Jacobi reprises his role from the original film.
* Tim McInnerny as Thraex
* Alexander Karim as Ravi
* Rory McCann as Tegula
May Calamawy, Lior Raz, Peter Mensah, and Matt Lucas appear in undisclosed roles.

Production

Development

In June 2001, developments for a ''Gladiator'' (2000) follow-up began in the form of potential for either a prequel or a sequel, with David Franzoni in early negotiations to once again serve as screenwriter. The following year, a sequel was announced to be moving forward with John Logan serving as screenwriter. The plot, set fifteen years later, included the Praetorian Guards ruling Rome, and an older-aged Lucius searching for the truth about his biological father. Franzoni signed on as producer, alongside Douglas Wick and Walter Parkes. In December 2002, the film's plot was announced to include prequel events regarding the parentage of Lucius, as well as sequel events depicting the resurrection of Maximus. Producers and Russell Crowe collaboratively and extensively researched ancient Roman beliefs regarding the afterlife. By September 2003, Ridley Scott announced that the script was completed, while confirming that the story would primarily center around the secret son of Maximus being Lucius.

In May 2006, Scott stated that while development on the project continued, the exact story for the film had yet to be mapped out. The filmmaker stated that all creative minds that were involved with ''Gladiator'' were working on how to continue from where the story left off. Scott stated that Crowe had favoured a fantasy element in bringing Maximus back to life, while Scott believed a grounded, historical approach was the better option. While he believed the film would not be made, he confirmed the plan to reveal that Lucius is the son of Maximus and Lucilla. He also discussed the necessity of a more complex script with the corruption of Rome in the potential sequel. During this time, Nick Cave was commissioned to write a new draft of the script. It was later revealed to be written under the working title of "Christ Killer". Cave described the plot as a "deities vs. deity vs. humanity" story. The premise involved Maximus in purgatory, who is resurrected as an immortal eternal warrior for the Roman gods. In the draft, Maximus is sent to Earth and tasked with stopping the momentum of Christianity by killing Jesus Christ and his disciples, as their movement was gradually siphoning off the power and vitality of the ancient Pagan gods. During his task mission, Maximus is tricked into murdering his own son. Cursed to live forever, Cave's script included Maximus fighting amongst the Crusades, WWII, and the Vietnam War; with the ending revealing that in the modern-day time period, the character now works at The Pentagon. The script was ultimately rejected and scrapped.

After experiencing financial difficulties in the 2000s, DreamWorks Pictures—including the rights to ''Gladiator'' and the rest of the pre-2006 live-action film library—was sold to Paramount Pictures in 2006 and development on the sequel was halted. In March 2017, Scott revealed that the difficulties of reintroducing Maximus, when the character is deceased, had been resolved. The filmmaker expressed enthusiasm for the future of the project, while discussions with Russell Crowe to reprise his role were ongoing. In November 2018, it was announced that Paramount was green-lighting the development of a sequel. Scott was in early negotiations to once again serve as director, with a script written by Peter Craig. Scott will additionally serve as producer alongside Doug Wick, Lucy Fisher, Walter Parkes, and Laurie MacDonald. The project will be a joint-venture production between Paramount, Scott Free Productions, Red Wagon Entertainment, and Parkes/MacDonald Image Nation. By June 2019, producers stated: "...we wouldn't touch unless we felt in a way to do it was legitimate." In their interview, they also revealed that the current script takes place 25–30 years after the first film. The plot will center around Lucius.

In April 2021, Chris Hemsworth approached Crowe with a proposal to become involved with the project, with the intention to co-produce the film. While working together on the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film '' Thor: Love and Thunder'' (2022), the two actors shared additional ideas for the film. By September 2021, Scott stated that the script was once again being worked on with his intention being to direct the sequel upon the completion of production on his current project ''Napoleon'' (2023). In November, it was revealed that David Scarpa, who worked with Scott on ''Napoleon'', was rewriting the script. Scarpa was hired by Scott because of their friendship, but struggled with him to find a good script for the film's story since 2019, leading Scott to wait ten months until Scarpa came up with the idea of using Lucius as the protagonist.

Originally greenlit with a production budget of $165 million, the cost of the film ballooned to a reported $310 million by the time filming wrapped (though Paramount insisted the net cost did not exceed $250 million). Additionally, Ridley Scott's desire to have a rhino battle in the original film, which went unrealized due to cost, was included in the sequel. The production received nearly €47 million in film incentive rebates from Malta, setting a record the largest rebate issued for a film production in the European Union.

Pre-production

In January 2023, Paul Mescal was cast in the film as the adult Lucius (originally portrayed by Spencer Treat Clark), while it was also reported that Arthur Max and Janty Yates, the production designer and costume designer of the original film, respectively, would also be returning to work on the sequel. Scott was unaware of Mescal's fame until he watched his performance in the BBC Three/Hulu miniseries ''Normal People''. Shortly after, the story for ''Gladiator II'' was finalised, and Scott ultimately cast Mescal in the lead role after a brief Zoom call. Austin Butler, Richard Madden, and Miles Teller had also been considered for the lead role. Mescal was chosen after Daria Cercek and Michael Ireland had seen his performance in the West End revival of '' A Streetcar Named Desire'', claiming that the "ladies in the audience ad beenvery vocal" when he had taken his shirt off. In March, Barry Keoghan entered negotiations to join the cast in the role of Emperor Caracalla while Denzel Washington joined the cast. Regarding Scott and his brother Tony as "great filmmakers" who never miss, Washington accepted the role out of interest to work with the inspirational Scott brother again after their previous collaboration in '' American Gangster'' (2007). Additionally, John Mathieson was set to return as cinematographer for the film.

In April 2023, it was announced that Connie Nielsen and Djimon Hounsou would reprise their roles as Lucilla and Juba respectively, while Joseph Quinn was added to the cast as Emperor Geta. In May 2023, Pedro Pascal, May Calamawy, Lior Raz, Derek Jacobi, Peter Mensah and Matt Lucas joined the cast of the film, with Fred Hechinger entering negotiations to play Caracalla after Keoghan had to drop out over scheduling conflicts. Jacobi reprises his role as Senator Gracchus from the first film. Hechinger would be confirmed the following month. In December, Hounsou announced that, despite initially being involved, he would not be returning for the sequel due to scheduling conflicts.

Filming

Production was expected to begin in May 2023, with Ouarzazate, Morocco set as a filming location. Set construction began in the city in April. Filming began in June 2023 with additional filming locations planned for Malta, which stood-in for ancient Rome, and the United Kingdom over the following four months. An accident involving fire during filming on June 7 injured six crew members. Filming was suspended in July due to the 2023 Hollywood labor disputes. Filming resumed on December 4 in Malta, and wrapped on January 17, 2024. Filming also took place on the South Downs at Devil's Dyke, Sussex in June 2024.

Funding

In August 2023, the '' Times of Malta'' reported that the government of Malta was due to pay €46,653,961 to the subsidiary company of Paramount Studios producing the film, and "breaks the record for the biggest state aid to cinema in the EU."

Music

In January 2024, it was reported that Harry Gregson-Williams was composing the score for the film, taking over from Hans Zimmer and Lisa Gerrard who scored the first film. Zimmer decided not to return because he did not want to repeat his work from the first film. In an interview with Curzon, he said that the film was "in really good hands" with Gregson-Williams, who had started his career as Zimmer's assistant.

Release

''Gladiator II'' is scheduled to be released internationally, including the United Kingdom, on November 15, 2024, and later in the United States and Canada on November 22, by Paramount Pictures. Universal Pictures declined to co-finance the sequel or distribute it overseas as it had the first film, leaving only Paramount as the worldwide distributor. In Australia and New Zealand, ''Gladiator II'' will be released earlier on November 14. It was previously scheduled for a global release on November 22.

On July 1, 2024, it was announced that the film's release date would be shared with the first film of the two-part film adaptation of the musical '' Wicked'' (from Universal), whose date was moved from November 27 to avoid competition with '' Moana 2''. This sparked speculation whether pitting the two films together could result in a scenario similar to the Barbenheimer phenomenon resulting from the films '' Barbie'' and ''Oppenheimer'' being released together on July 21, 2023. On July 10, 2024, Mescal dubbed the pair-up as "Glicked" and voiced his support for the two films as a double feature, saying "It would be amazing 'cause I think the films couldn't be more polar opposites and it worked in that context previously. So fingers crossed people come out and see both films on opening weekend".

Much like the original film, ''Gladiator II'' was given a R rating by the Motion Picture Association due to "strong bloody violence".

Marketing

Footage of the film screened at the CinemaCon 2024 in Las Vegas included scenes of Quinn as Caracalla dressed in a white toga and laurel-leaf crown dramatically plunging his thumb downward to note the fate of defeated gladiators, with Nielsen in the background. In June of that year, Scott showcased an extended clip of the film featuring Denzel Washington, Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Connie Nielsen, and Joseph Quinn. A poster for the film was released on July 8, 2024, with a trailer released the following day. The trailer will also reportedly be attached to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film '' Deadpool & Wolverine'' (2024), slated for release on July 26, 2024. Jennifer Ouellette of ''Ars Technica'' said the trailer indicated the film "promises to be just as much of a visual feast, as a new crop of power players (plus a couple of familiar faces) clash over the future of Rome". Rather than using an orchestral score, the first trailer used " No Church in the Wild" by Jay-Z and Kanye West which caused a backlash among film fans. Some attempts to justify this choice of music cited the trailer for the first ''Gladiator'' which had used "Bawitdaba" by Kid Rock.

On the first day of the 2024 NFL season, Paramount Pictures and Pepsi announced a campaign cross-promoting the film with the soft drink's sponsorship of the National Football League. A series of advertisements will feature football stars Josh Allen, Derrick Henry, Justin Jefferson, and Travis Kelce as "Gridiron Gladiators", with Megan Thee Stallion appearing as Empress Megan.

Sequel

In September 2024, Scott revealed that he was developing a third film with Mescal reprising his role as Lucius Verus. He likened the ending of ''Gladiator II'' to '' The Godfather Part II'' (1974).

References

External links

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Gladiator (2000 film)
2024 action drama films
2020s American films
2020s British films
2020s English-language films
2020s historical drama films
American action drama films
American epic films
American films about revenge
American historical drama films
American sequel films
British action drama films
British epic films
British films about revenge
British historical drama films
British sequel films
Cultural depictions of Lucilla
Films affected by the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike
Films directed by Ridley Scott
Films produced by Ridley Scott
Films scored by Harry Gregson-Williams
Films set in 2nd-century Roman Empire
Films shot in Malta
Films shot in Ouarzazate
Films shot in the United Kingdom
Films with screenplays by David Scarpa
Historical epic films
Scott Free Productions films
Paramount Pictures films
Upcoming English-language films
Upcoming sequel films
2020s historical action films
American historical action films
British historical action films
English-language historical drama films
English-language action drama films