Are you ready to return to the arena? Ridley Scott's Gladiator 2 trailer dropped a few months exclusively at CinemaCon, on the stage at The Colosseum at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas... and I couldn't have thought of a more appropriate location if I tried.
The trailer's debut has us expecting a heady mix of historical fantasy and testosterone-fuelled spectacles (think Mescal and Pascal battling it out) to make you forget about the brutality and bloodshed that occurs. And to fuel us while we wait for its release, we have been blessed with not one, but two trailers of Gladiator 2.
Gladiator 2 trailers
We have gone from pain staking months of only having teasers, them being videos of Paul Mescal training hard in the gym– to having a second Gladiator 2 trailer.
Our first look at Gladiator 2
Our feeds have been blessed with first-look imagery from the set of the sequel film. Of course, we're loving the ultra-HD shots of Paul Mescal as this film's titular warrior, but we're also loving our first look at the rest of the film's beefed-up cast, including Pedro Pascal, Stranger Things star Joseph Quinn, and Idris Elba.
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When and where can I watch it?
Gladiator 2 will be released in cinemas in Australia from 14 November 2024.
Who is in the cast?
What we can prepare for is blood, sweat and stylish savagery, as Ridley Scott is here to remind us refined barbarity is the hottest new trend. In true Scott style, we can expect this Gladiator to be even more intense than the first one with Russell Crowe.
Leading the charge is Paul Mescal, who takes on the role of Lucius, the son of Lucilla (played by the returning Connie Nelson). Alongside joining Mescal is Mandalorian's Pedro Pascal as Marcus Acacius, his allegiance in the film still remains a mystery. However, sounding like a rivalry as Pascal states “I call him Brick Wall Paul (Mescal),” and how “He got so strong. I would rather be thrown from a building than have to fight him again.” White Lotus Fred Hechinger, Stranger Things Joseph Quinn, and Denzel Washington are too casted in the movie.
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What is it about?
As described by Paul Mescal, Gladiator 2 explores the extremes of human behaviour. Stating it explores "what human beings will do to survive, but also what human beings will do to win." The film opens with Lucius (Mescal) living a peaceful life with his wife and baby until his homeland is threatened by Roman conquerors. Director Ridley Scott elaborates: "Lucius has taken root in a seacoast town in Numidia, one of the last surviving civilisations as the Romans descend on North Africa, intent on domination."
W can expect the next chapter, to evolve around Lucius (Paul Mescal), son of Lucilla. After years since Maximus Decimus Meridius's death, the empire has been left shaken and cracks in the empire are risen. Lucius wrestles with the weight of his family's legacy, deciphering if he will follow in Maximus's footsteps and become a gladiator himself, or chart a different course?
Playing opposite Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal portrays Marcus Acacius, a Roman general trained by the legendary Maximus (played by Russell Crowe in the 2000 film). Acacius is a skilled fighter who embodies the code of honor instilled in him by his mentor. As Mescal says, "This sense of honor is ingrained into his training and his very being."
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