Hearing the news of a sequel to 2000’s epic “Gladiator” left me skeptical. I adore the classic Russell Crowe-led original (it was the first DVD I ever owned) and the idea of following it up some 24 years later left me with several concerns. Easing my mind a bit was the return of Ridley Scott as producer AND director. Surely he wouldn’t return if there wasn’t a big vision and a meaningful story to tell…right?
Today Paramount dropped the long awaited first trailer for “Gladiator II”, a massive production sporting a near $300 million budget. Aside from some odd music choices, the trailer certainly looks to have some interesting ideas. At the same time, it also looks to be following a fairly similar blueprint as the 2000 film. Hopefully it isn’t too similar.
Paul Mescal plays Lucius Verus, the grandson of Rome’s murdered emperor Marcus Aurelius (see the first film) and former heir to the Empire. He is taken away from his wife and child by an ambitious general (Pedro Pascal). Following in the footsteps of Crowe’s Maximus, Lucius chooses to fight as a gladiator and inspire the people to stand against the cruel new emperors of Rome. The always great Denzel Washington looks to have a significant role and Connie Nielsen returns as the mother of Lucius. I remain both hesitant and excited. Regardless, there are some really good ingredients here.
“Gladiator II” releases in theaters on November 22nd. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.
Keith & the Movies 
I never thought I’d be as pumped for this as I am!
YES! I’m 100% with you. I had (and still do) reservations. But I enjoyed this trailer. And I’m onboard for anything Denzel!
Wow! I just rewatched the original last week. Ready to see this one.
It looks interesting. The war sequences looked especially amazing.
Got to be honest , even with great cast , this one really underwhelmed me. Plus sometimes a film needs no sequel and I’m in the camp Gladiator needed none. The first one was a powerhouse of epic fights ,acting and had real emotional punch . Will see but I’ve been lukewarm all along and the trailer did nothing to change my mind .
Completely understand. I don’t see the need in a sequel but I’m holding out hope. I’m most excited to see Denzel in what looks like a devilish and meaty role. Hope it delivers.
Kind of agree with spurg63, but.. Ridley Scott, he always manages to pull something out of the bag.
I have to believe Ridley is only returning because he believes in the project. And Denzel makes it an automatic must-see for me. Fingers crossed.
I’m not a fan of the music choices either as I think Jay-Z is now overrated these days as he’s more than a businessman than a rapper. I’m still iffy on this as I am someone that wasn’t fond of Gladiator when it first came out as it’s been a long time since I’ve seen the film. I might check this out as I just hope there’s a strong story.
The story is certainly a concern. I hope this isn’t just a rehash of the first film with a few extra flourishes
Recommending
I really enjoyed the first film and can’t wait to see this one in the theaters. The brief battle scene looked amazing. Paul Mescal, while not known for this kind of action role, is nonetheless an incredibly gifted young actor, and I look forward to seeing his character’s story arc in what has been promised to be a huge production movie.
I’m optimistic too. The Coliseum scenes do looks amazing and I firmly believe that if Denzel Washington signed on there must be something worthy watching.