If the words “Are you not entertained” still live rent-free in your brain 24 years after the original Gladiator film hit screens, chances are you’re excited for Gladiator 2. More than two decades after Ridley Scott brought us Maximus, we’re getting back into the arena with an incredibly exciting cast. While details are thin for the moment being, we’ve pulled together everything we know about Gladiator 2, from cast updates to the Australian release date.
Table of contents
Gladiator 2: What’s the story?
What we know so far is that Gladiator 2 is a sequel to the 2000 original. Quite simply, the synopsis for the film reads as follows:
Follows Lucius, the son of Maximus’s love Lucilla, after Maximus’s death.
Lucius is the nephew of Emperor Commodus (our villain from the original film), who has grown into a man in the years since Maximus’s (Russell Crowe) death. As Vanity Fair writes, Lucius’ mother, Lucilla, had sent her son to Africa to keep him far from the Roman Empire, however, he is brought back as a prisoner after Romans invade the region he has been living in.
If you need a little refresher on the characters mentioned, IMDb has shared the below video to assist.
Cast updates: Who’s in the arena?
Probably the biggest point of discussion surrounding the film (aside from the fact that it’s being made at all) is the cast line up. It is hefty.
Gladiator 2 is slated to star names such as Denzel Washington (Macrinus), Paul Mescal (Lucius), Joseph Quinn (Emperor Geta), Pedro Pascal (Marcus Acacius), Fred Hechinger (Emperor Caracalla), and Rory McCann (Tegula). Connie Nielsen (Lucilla), Derek Jacobi (Gracchus), and Djimon Hounsou (Juba) all return from the first film, too.
Original director Ridley Scott has returned for this film, too.
Who does Denzel Washington play in Gladiator 2?
In Gladiator 2, Denzel Washington plays the character of Macrinus, who is described as a wealthy arms dealer who enjoys keeping gladiators on hand for “sport”.
Who does Pedro Pascal play in Gladiator 2?
So far, all we know about everyone’s imaginary boyfriend, Pedro Pascal, is that he is portraying Roman general Marcus Acacius.
He has also shared his honest thoughts about his co-star Paul Mescal’s buff bod in an interview with Vanity Fair.
“It’s brutal, man. I call him Brick Wall Paul,” he said.
“He got so strong. I would rather be thrown from a building than have to fight him again. To go up against somebody that fit and that talented and that much younger…”
Who does Joseph Quinn play in Gladiator 2?
We don’t know too much just yet, but it’s been confirmed that Joseph Quinn (Stranger Things) is starring as Emperor Geta, one of the co-emperors of Rome in this period. He rules alongside Fred Hechinger’s Emperor Caracalla, and is set to be one of the film’s key villains.
Speaking about the film, Quinn has stressed he understands just how important the Gladiator story is to many people.
“We certainly we were aware of the legacy of the first film, so we wanted to pay homage to that, and understand that it’s one of those films that a lot of people get misty-eyed about, myself included,” said Quinn, per Deadline.
When is Gladiator 2 coming out in Australia?
Gladiator 2 (II) is slated to release in cinemas in Australia on November 22, 2024. That’ll be here in a minute!
How to stream Gladiator in Australia
If you’d like to rewatch the original Gladiator film, you can stream it in Australia on Netflix, Binge, Paramount+ and Prime Video.
Lead Image Credit: Universal
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