Everything We Know About Gladiator 2 (2024)

When Ridley Scott announced that he planned to do a sequel to Gladiator, fans had no idea what to expect. After all, Maximus's story came to a pretty definitive end after the first movie. None of the other supporting characters felt like they were prime candidates to lead a second movie in the franchise, making it even more confusing that it was scheduled to get another entry.

However, now that Gladiator II's release looms a bit closer, fans are itching to get as much information as they can about what sort of treat they're in for at the end of the year. Many of the finer details of the film remain under wraps, so let's take a look at everything we know so far about Gladiator II.

What is Gladiator II About?

Gladiator, at first glance, doesn't feel like a movie that necessarily needs a sequel. After all, the story it presented wrapped up pretty nicely after the film. Maximus, though he meets a tragic end, achieves the goal he pursued throughout the story: to avenge the deaths of his family. He slays Commodus despite suffering a wound that, on anyone else, would have prevented him from being able to even participate in the duel in the first place. He uses his dying breaths to request justice for his fellow gladiators, who were held against their will, demonstrating his commitment to the people he cares about even in those final moments. When he passes into the afterlife, he pictures himself reuniting with his wife and son, who were wrongfully killed early in the film, proving that he made them proud through it all. He's treated as a hero by the rest of the gladiators and regarded as a true "soldier of Rome" despite everything that happened.

The sequel only slightly builds on the story provided in the original. It focuses on Lucius Verus, who was just a child in Gladiator and who was, at one point, the heir to the entire Roman Empire. However, by the time that the movie takes place, Lucius hasn't had contact with his mother for about fifteen years. Rather, he lives a quiet life with his wife and child in Numidia. His world turns upside down when the Roman army marches on his home. They force him into slavery, and he makes up his mind to fight as a gladiator rather than accept the loss of everything he cares about without resisting any of it. Though his story mirrors that of Maximus, the creative team promises that this won't just be a rehashing of the same story with different characters, and therefore, fans are going in with high hopes.

Who Is Involved Behind the Scenes?

Many of the original crew members of Gladiator plan to return for the sequel. Ridley Scott will be directing again (and even considers the sequel to be one of the best films he's put out in recent years). Scott is one of the most well-known directors of all time. He's one of the highest-grossing directors of all time and has been nominated for three Academy Awards for directing throughout his prolific career. His films range from Thelma and Louise to Blade Runner to The Martian to Alien and span many different periods, themes, and character archetypes. He's been working nearly non-stop since 1977, and many consider him to be one of the greatest filmmakers of the modern era.

David Scarpa, best known for All the Money in the World and Napoleon, returns for his third collaboration with director Ridley Scott as he wrote the screenplay for Gladiator II. Scarpa co-created the story with Peter Craig, who also collaborated with the writers of The Batman, Mockingjay Part 1, Mockingjay Part 2, and Top Gun: Maverick. John Mathieson returned to do the cinematography as he did for the first one, and the movie will be edited by Claire Simpson (Platoon) and Sam Restivo.

Who is Starring in Gladiator II?

• Central cast of Gladiator II
• Paul Mescal - Lucius Verus
• Joseph Quinn - Emperor Geta
• Fred Hechinger - Caracalla
• Pedro Pascal - Marcus Acacius
• Denzel Washington - Macrinus

Gladiator II has one of the most star-studded casts of any movie coming out this year. It features Paul Mescal (Normal People) in the leading role of Lucius Verus, giving him another chance at dominating awards season after he tragically lost the Academy Award for Best Leading Actor for his performance in Aftersun. Joseph Quinn, fresh off a star turn in A Quiet Place: Day One and a scene-stealing tragic arc in Stranger Things, appears as Emperor Geta, based on the historical figure of the same name. Fred Hechinger (The White Lotus, Fear Street) will play Caracalla, Geta's brother and co-emperor. Pedro Pascal, who has proved to be one of the biggest stars in Hollywood, plays General Marcus Acacius, who led the invasion of Numidia that displaced Lucius and his family. Denzel Washington plays Macrinus, a former slave with aspirations to take control of Rome and the owner of the stable of gladiators that Lucius finds himself part of.

In addition to all these stars, there are still a few actors whose roles have yet to be revealed. May Calamawy, best known for her star turn in Moon Knight as Layla el-Faouly, will appear in some capacity. Matt Lucas, a star of the West End and former host of The Great British Bake-Off also has an undetermined role. It'll be interesting to see just how these two factor into the greater scale of the film as audiences learn more about everything going on.

Are Any Characters Returning From the First Movie?

Though countless new characters are appearing in the second installment of the franchise, a few are returning as well. Connie Nielsen returns to her role as Lucilla. In the first movie, she was not only Marcus Aurelius's daughter, but Maximus's former lover. All she wanted to do was protect her son from the treacherous nature of Roman politics, as her brother Commodus, let anger and corruption control him, thus making it nearly impossible for her to raise him in a way that wouldn't somehow displease the other members of the government.

Derek Jacobi will portray Gracchus again as well. In the original movie, he was one of the most vocal opponents to Commodus's rule, which got him in trouble. He worked closely with Lucilla and Maximus in their movements against Commodus, though he got removed from the senate as a result of this behavior in pursuit of justice. In his dying breaths, Maximus begged that his friend get his position back, and, if the teasers about his role in Gladiator II are correct, this dream came true. He's still one of the most vocal opponents of the current regime, and will likely take Lucius's side in all his future endeavors.

Is There a Trailer for Gladiator II?

Gladiator II is one of the year's most anticipated releases, and the studio took its sweet time before releasing the trailer for its beloved fans. The first look at the film dropped on July 9th, 2024, about four months before the movie's official premiere.

The trailer abides by all the promises one could want a sequel to Gladiator to make. It vows to provide a genuine spectacle, with arena fights that measure up to those in the predecessor. It allows director Ridley Scott to feature a rhinoceros in the film, which he wanted to do in the original, but the technology wasn't advanced enough for him to execute that yet. Hopefully, it'll live up to all fans' expectations and prove that though nobody necessarily expected there to be a sequel to Gladiator, it's the kind of thing they have always wanted.

When Does Gladiator II Come Out?

Gladiator II is currently scheduled to release in theaters on November 22, 2024. It'll open alongside Wicked, the first of two adaptations of the beloved Broadway musical about the origins of the Wicked Witch of the West. Fans of both will likely go see the two on the same day, just as they did for Barbie and Oppenheimer in the summer of 2023.

Its late November release date puts it in stark contrast with its predecessor, which premiered in May 2000. It focused more on filling the summer blockbuster release slot than it did running late in the year to maximize its awards contention, and it's interesting to see that departure from the precedent set by the earlier film. Fans will just have to wait until November to see if Gladiator II lives up to all their expectations, and it'll be interesting to see what ends up happening with the movie.

Gladiator II

Not Yet Rated

Action

Drama

Epic

History

Adventure

Follows Lucius, the son of Maximus' love Lucilla, after Maximus' death.

Director

Ridley Scott

Release Date

November 22, 2024

Cast

Paul Mescal , Pedro Pascal , Denzel Washington , Connie Nielsen , Joseph Quinn , Fred Hechinger , Derek Jacobi , May Calamawy , Peter Mensah , Matt Lucas , Alexander Karim , Tim McInnerny , Lee Charles , Chidi Ajufo , Alfie Tempest , Riana Duce , Chi Lewis Parry , Paul Candelent , Hadrian Howard , Alexander Simkin , Mikhail Basmadjian , Matthew Charlery-Smith , Maxime Durand , Lior Raz

Writers

David Scarpa , Peter Craig , David Franzoni

Main Genre

Adventure

Studio(s)

Paramount Pictures , Universal Pictures , Scott Free Productions , Red Wagon Entertainment

Distributor(s)

Paramount Pictures

prequel(s)

Gladiator