Nearly a quarter-century ago, Ridley Scott took audiences to ancient Rome with Gladiator, a historical drama, and one of Russell Crowe’s best movies, that followed Crowe’s character, Maximus Decimus Meridius, as he went from a respected general to one of the most beloved fighters to ever step into the Coliseum. Before the end of 2024, the decorated filmmaker will give the world the next chapter in his epic saga with Gladiator 2.
As we look toward the movie, which is set for release near the tail end of the 2024 movie schedule, let’s take a look at everything we know about the “magnificent spectacle’ that is the Gladiator sequel. From its release date to its cast (both new and returning actors) to other details about its story, there’s a lot to go over, so let’s go back to the glory days of the Roman Empire.
What Is The Gladiator 2 Release Date?
Fans of the original Gladiator, a movie that won five Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Actor, have had to wait 23 years for a follow-up movie, but we won’t have to wait all that much longer, as Gladiator 2 is scheduled to be released on November 22, 2024. Back in February 2023, Variety reported that the much-anticipated movie would open ahead of the Thanksgiving 2024 holiday weekend.
If the sequel is like its predecessor, then it could earn Ridley Scott and company multiple Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations. Who knows, maybe by the time the 2025 Oscars come around, we’ll be seeing the director and cast on stage giving acceptance speeches.
Gladiator 2 Will Take Place Several Decades After The Original Movie
Though the specifics of the story have yet to be revealed at this stage in the movie’s development, there has long been talk that the sequel will feature a time jump, taking place several decades after the events of the first movie.
Russell Crowe seemingly confirmed that long-standing belief during a January 2023 appearance on Fitzy & Wippa with Kate Ritchie, on which the actor revealed that he had dinner with Ridley Scott and talked about the movie and its story. According to Crowe, the movie is “not a remake,” nor is it a “direct sequel,” but instead a movie that takes place 30 years after the death of Maximus in the Coliseum.
Is There A Gladiator 2 Trailer?
A trailer for Gladiator 2 has not yet been released. However, with its theatrical debut months away, it shouldn’t be that long before we catch a glimpse at Ridley Scott’s highly-anticipated sword-and-sandal sequel.
Exclusive Footage Shown At CinemaCon 2024 Teases Water Battles And Bloody Rhinos
Though the Gladiator 2 trailer hasn’t yet been released to the public at the time of this writing, CinemaCon attendees, including CinemaBlend’s Sean O’Connell were able to catch a look at some exclusive footage at the April 2024 convention. During the Paramount Pictures panel, attendees were treated to five minutes of footage from the upcoming Ridley Scott movie, and based on reports, it sounds absolutely epic.
The Gladiator 2 footage, which introduced major characters played by Paul Mescal, Joseph Quinn, and Denzel Washington, also teased massive fights that appear to outdo anything from the original film. This included everything from water battles in a flooded Colosseum to a fight where Mescal’s Lucius must face an opponent atop a rhino with a bloody horn to a dangerous bout with ferocious monkeys.
If the rest of the movie is as intense and epic as the CinemaCon footage, we’re in for one hell of a treat come November.
Paul Mescal Leads The Gladiator 2 Cast
When the Gladiator sequel hits the big screen later this year, the epic will feature a tremendous group of actors playing both new and returning characters. Let’s take a quick look at the Gladiator 2 cast.
Paul Mescal (Lucius Verus)
The list of the best Paul Mescal movies will most likely get a little bit longer this November, as the Aftersun and All of Us Strangers star is set to lead Ridley Scott’s next movie. According to Deadline, Mescal will be taking on the role of Lucius Verus, the nephew of Joaquin Phoenix’s Commodus from the first movie.
Denzel Washington
Denzel Washington has been attached to Gladiator 2 since March 2023 when Deadline reported that the two-time Academy Award winner was reuniting with his American Gangster director. According to footage viewed by CinemaBlend at CinemaCon 2024, Washington will be playing Lucius’ mentor though he reportedly has ulterior motives.
Pedro Pascal
Before Pedro Pascal joins the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the upcoming Fantastic Four movie, he’ll show up in Gladiator 2. Not much is known about his character, but Pascal has been a part of the project since May 2023, per Variety.
Joseph Quinn (Emperor Caracalla)
Stranger Things Season 4 standout and the MCU’s new Johnny Storm, Joseph Quinn is set to have a major role in Gladiator 2. According to Deadline, Quinn will be taking on the role of Emperor Caracalla.
Fred Hechinger (Emperor Geta)
Fred Hechinger, who you may recognize from The White Lotus Season 1, is also set to have a sizable role in Gladiator 2. According to Variety, the actor, who is also set to appear in Kraven the Hunter, will be playing Emperor Geta.
Connie Nielsen (Lucilla)
Connie Nielsen will be one of the few actors from the original film to return for Gladiator 2 when she once again plays Lucilla, Lucius’ mother, according to EW.
Derek Jacobi (Senator Gracchus)
Derek Jacobi, who played Senator Gracchus in Gladiator, is another actor returning for a second round of Roman action, per Variety.
Ridley Scott Developed Gladiator 2 Alongside Napoleon Screenwriter David Scarpa
Ridley Scott, who has been trying to get a Gladiator sequel off the ground for more than 20 years, according to IGN, developed the upcoming movie with David Scarpa, the screenwriter of his 2023 biographical drama, Napoleon. In the January 2023 Deadline article revealing that Paul Mescal was to be taking on one of the lead roles in the sequel, it was also reported that Scarpa had penned the script. This will be the third time the writer and director have worked together, with the aforementioned Napoleon and 2017 crime drama, All the Money in the World, being their previous collaborations. Over the years, Scarpa has also written movies like The Last Castle and The Day the Earth Stood Still, as well as three episodes of the Amazon original series, The Man in the High Castle.
Production Wrapped In January 2024
Production on Gladiator 2 was underway in June 2023 when several crewmembers sustained non-life-threatening burn injuries on the Moroccan set, according to Deadline. Though not much time was lost due to the accident at that time, the shoot, like so many others, was shut down for a few months at the start of the SAG-AFTRA actors' strike in July 2023. That November, just a couple of weeks after the four-month stoppage came to an end, outlets like Variety reported that filming would resume on Ridley Scott's next project in early December.
Production was able to get underway, and in January 2024, Total Film (via GamesRadar) reported that principal photography had wrapped. Now begins the arduous post-production process.
Gladiator 2 Reportedly Has A Budget Of Over $300 Million
Based on the footage shown at CinemaCon 2024, as well as everything else we’ve heard about the movie, it should be no surprise that Gladiator 2 cost a pretty penny to make. In February 2023, The Hollywood Reporter published a report stating that the film, which was originally budgeted at $165 million, would end up being closer to around $310 million before everything was said and done.
According to sources referenced by THR, the reportedly massive budget wasn’t entirely due to massive action sequences or detailed and historically accurate sets, as the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes were believed to have cost the production around $600,000 a week, or $10 million, during the lengthy shutdowns.
That It Hasn’t Been Announced, Gladiator 2 Could Be Rated R
Paramount Pictures hasn’t come out and confirmed a rating for Gladiator 2 at this point in time, but based on the footage shown at CinemaCon, it sounds more than likely that the movie will end up having an R-rating. The first film, which had its fair share of incredibly violent action sequences, was rated R, so it wouldn’t be odd if its sequel follows suit.
Is Russell Crowe Involved With Gladiator 2?
Considering Russell Crowe’s character died at the end of Gladiator, it’s all but guaranteed we won’t be seeing the Oscar winner enter the Coliseum in the upcoming sequel. Crowe addressed the situation at the 2023 Karlovy Vary Film Festival (via Variety) where he said the movie had nothing to do with him and that he wasn’t it. However, he admitted to a “certain tinge of jealousy” about the project and not being involved.
The Gladiator 2 Tagline Pays Homage To One Of The Original Film’s Most Iconic Lines
Though Maximus Decimus Meridius is very much dead by the end of the first Gladiator, the upcoming movie will be paying homage to the hero of Gladiator in multiple ways. During CinemaCon 2024, the Deadline Twitter account shared a quick video of a statue in Caesars Palace that not only included the official name of Ridley Scott’s epic sequel, it also included the tagline: “What we do in life echoes in eternity.”
You may recall this to be the words shared by Russell Crowe’s character just before the epic opening battle sequence from the 2000 Oscar-winning film. Though Paramount Pictures hasn’t stated just how much of an impact Meridius will have on the events of Gladiator 2, it’s hard to imagine the late commander of the Armies of the North not inspiring multiple characters in the long-awaited sequel.
There are still a lot of things about Gladiator 2 that we don’t yet know at this time, but all those details will be worked out as we get closer to its release. In the meantime, check out our 2024 movie schedule for all the latest on the upcoming film slate
