Touted as one of the most impressive historical drama films of all time, Gladiator will get a long-awaited sequel this year.
There has been a minor tweak to the release date of the sequel, as Gladiator 2 will hit international screens a week earlier than when the fans in the U.S. will get to watch it. The Ridley Scott-directed film will be released internationally on November 15, while the U.S. and Canada release is scheduled for November 22.
Aftersun breakout Paul Mescal leads the cast, and he will play the adult version of Lucius, Commodus’ (Joaquin Phoenix) nephew. Recent images from the set of the sequel showed Mescal sporting a ripped physique in armor, giving fans a hint as to how action-centric the followup to the original is going to be.
Other key members of the cast include Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, and Joseph Quinn, with Connie Nielsen and Derek Jacobi reprising their roles as Lucilla and Senator Gracchus from the original, respectively. Washington will portray a former slave turned wealthy merchant, while Pascal’s character is that of a former military commander who is banished to fight as a gladiator after defying orders.
Quinn is set to play Emperor Geta, the Roman emperor from 198 to 217 AD. Fred Hechinger will play Caracalla, the co-emperor, with Quinn’s character. The White Lotus star took over from Barry Keoghan for the role, who dropped out because of a scheduling conflict.
The script is penned by David Scarpa (All the Money in the World), and the film is produced by Scott Free Productions for Paramount Pictures. The film was announced back in 2018, with Mescal getting hired for the lead role after a 5-year hiatus. Filming of Gladiator 2 began in June 2023 but was interrupted due to Hollywood labor strikes, finally concluding in January 2024.
Ridley Scott is not the only personnel returning from the original team for the sequel, as he will be joined by cinematographer John Mathieson, costume designer Janty Yates, and production designer Arthur Max. The trio received Oscar nominations for their work on Gladiator, and audiences will hope to see more of the same in the second part.
