Gladiator 2, the sequel to the 2000 blockbuster Gladiator from director Ridley Scott, is finally coming to cinemas later this year and now we have a trailer that offers the first look at the new actors, locations and story. For plot reasons, Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix will not return. Instead, the new cast consists of Paul Mescal, Joseph Quinn and everyone’s favourite actor, Pedro Pascal.
Gladiator 2, or otherwise stylised as Gladiator II, takes place some time after the events of the first movie. The plot description reads, “After his home is conquered by the tyrannical Emperors who now lead Rome, Lucius is forced to enter the Colosseum and must look to his past to find strength to return the glory of Rome to its people.”
Lucius will be played by actor Paul Mescal, best known for the award-winning 2023 movie All of Us Strangers and the TV mini-series Normal People. He’s joined by Joseph Quinn as Emperor Geta, who viewers may recognise as Eddie Munson from the fourth season of Stranger Things. Pedro Pascal, who is pretty much starring in several big Hollywood projects at the moment including The Last of Us, The Mandalorian and the upcoming Fantastic Four, will also star as Marcus Acacius.
Denzel Washington will also appear in the movie as Macrinus and judging by the first trailer, he seems to be having a blast playing himself. He’s joined by Connie Nielsen, who played Lucilla in the original Gladiator movie, and Rory McCann as Tegula, better known for playing The Hound in Game of Thrones.
In other Hollywood news, Shrek 5 finally has a release date of 1 July 2026. It’s currently in production at DreamWorks Animation and will once again star Mike Myers as the lovable titular ogre, Eddie Murphy as Donkey and Cameron Diaz as Princess Fiona. Not much is known about the project since it’s pretty far off from release.
Watch the trailer for Gladiator 2 below.
Source: Paramount
