Let the games begin! Gladiator II rolls into theaters on today!
Gladiator II makes its U.S. debut in theaters today on November 22, 2024. The first movie Gladiator was released in 2000. The film was instantly dubbed a historically epic film. Both the first film and Gladiator II are directed by Ridley Scott. The sequel, Gladiator II takes place years after witnessing the death of Maximus at the hands of his uncle, Lucius must enter the Colosseum after the powerful emperors of Rome conquer his home. With rage in his heart and the future of the empire at stake, he looks to the past to find the strength and honor needed to return the glory of Rome to its people.
The first film grossed $465.5 million worldwide, becoming the second highest-grossing film of 2000, and won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor for lead actor Russell Crowe who portrayed a bold and valiant gladiator named Maximus Decimus Meridius. Like the original, the cast in Gladiator II boasts some of the brightest, talented, young, and veteran actors in Hollywood. From Paul Mescal who seems to be born for this role, to Joseph Quinn who undoubtedly taking Hollywood by storm, on to the legendary and iconic actor Denzel Washington who steps right into Rome and commands the scene with charm and poise, this film was casted perfectly.
Gladiator II stars:
Paul Mescal as Lucius Verus Aurelius, who goes by the alias "Hanno" Lucius lives with his wife in Numidia but is taken prisoner by the Roman army after they invade his home. He is sold into slavery to become a gladiator in the Colosseum. He seeks revenge against the Romans and their general, Marcus Acacius.
Spencer Treat Clark, who played a young Lucius in Gladiator, appears in the film in flashbacks through archive footage.
Pedro Pascal as Marcus Acacius: A Roman general who trained under Maximus, and Lucilla's husband. Although he lives a luxurious lifestyle in Rome, he spends most of his time away on military campaigns for the emperors. He leads an army to take over North Africa and invades territories in the name of Rome, but is disillusioned by war and does not want to send more men to die for the emperors.
Connie Nielsen as Lucilla (based on the historical figure Lucilla): Lucius's mother, Maximus's former lover, and Emperor Marcus Aurelius's daughter.
Denzel Washington as Macrinus (loosely based on the historical figure Macrinus): A former slave who plans to control Rome. He keeps a stable of gladiators and mentors Lucius. He also works as an arms dealer, providing food and oil to the Roman armies in Europe. Director Ridley 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". Scott also noted that Macrinus has a "twinkle" of bisexuality, describing him as a gangster who started as a prisoner of war, became a gladiator, and earned his freedom.
Joseph Quinn as Emperor Geta (based on the historical figure Geta): The co-emperor of Rome alongside his brother, Caracalla. Scott described the pair as "damaged goods from birth" who are "almost a replay of Romulus and Remus", with two other inspirations being the Beavis and Butt-Head from the MTV adult cartoon of the same name. Careful not to copy Joaquin Phoenix's performance as Commodus from the original film, Quinn 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. One inspiration for Geta's look was John Lydon.
Fred Hechinger as Emperor Caracalla (based on the historical figure Caracalla): The co-emperor of Rome alongside his brother, Geta. He has a pet monkey and is less stable than his brother due to cognitive erosion in his brain. Hechinger discussed with Scott about finding inspirations to build Caracalla's look from Sid Vicious, with Caracalla's pet monkey serving as another inspiration for the character's "crazed behavior".
Both new fans and fans of the first film will find this twisted and brutal warriors tale engaging and easy to follow. The movie is action packed, emotional, captivating, and riveting. The cinematography by John Mathieson is stellar! The stunning imagery will immerse audiences in the story, placing them right in the heat of battle inside the roman coliseum for thrilling and bloody battles with both humans and rabid wildlife.
Scenes in Color was on hand to prescreen the film for the AMC Gladiator II fan event. Gripping and entertaining, this bold and poignant film will have the box office bell tolling all weekend long as sales are expected to be very high ahead of opening weekend. Although not as menacing in stature as Crowe in the original film, Mescal delivers a genuine and unique performance as Gladiator Hanno. His heart and desire for a peaceful land is what leads him to victory in many of the fierce battles throughout the film. Callbacks to the original film were perfectly placed. The entire production, from set design to wardrobe made the story a more immersive and authentic experience. While the film does well to connect to viewers and keep the subplot entertaining, a more developed relationship between the lead character and (spoiler) could have been used to tug more at the heartstrings of viewers and allow audiences to resonate even more emotionally with the characters grief and reasoning behind his rage.
Overall, we have rated the film a solid 8.5/10.
Gladiator II has a 210 million budget. Although the film is competing with predicted box office heavy hitter Wicked, which releases on the same day, Gladiator II is looking to reign supreme with high ticket sales opening weekend!
Check out Rome for yourself and step into the arena if you dare. Gladiator II is now playing worldwide in a theatre near you!