We’ve just received our very first look at Gladiator 2 thanks to a behind-the-scenes Instagram post uploaded by Morocco’s Minister of Culture Mohammed Mehdi Bensaid.
The hotly anticipated sequel, which hails the return of legendary director Ridley Scott, is currently shooting on location in Ouarzazate — potentially due to the fact the story will cover the Roman Empire’s “historical expansion” to the North African country, as pointed out by Collider.
And based on what’s been glimpsed so far, it’ll certainly bring the action. Fiery city-wide action sequence and all.
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“Field visit to the filming site of Gladiator 2 after the explosion and meeting Ridley Scott,” Minister Bensaid captioned his Instagram post (translated).
“This visit was an opportunity to meet the British director and producer Ridley Scott and his team… [they] confirmed that Ouarzazate and Morocco are considered international cinematic destinations, and there are great qualifications for filming the largest international cinematic productions.”
“During the visit, I was briefed on the filming site, and met with its employees, stressing that the Ministry will keep pace with such productions, and will contribute to the projects of the cinematic and cultural industries.”
“Just as the recent incident will not affect the international cinematic destination Ouarzazate, which will remain as it has always been a destination for world stars to film their global work.”
As you will have probably heard by now, aside from the eye-popping scale of the physical production, Gladiator 2 features an all-star lineup of certifiable Hollywood heavyweights:
- Academy Award nominee Paul Mescal (Aftersun, Normal People) — who portrays Lucius, the adult son of Connie Nielsen’s Lucilla and Oliver Reed’s Marcus Aurelius; nephew to Joaquin Phoenix’s Emperor Commodus
- Academy Award nominee Barry Keoghan (The Banshees of Inisherin, Eternals, Dunkirk) — who portrays a fictitious version of Emperor Geta; reportedly positioned as the main villain of the long-awaited sequel opposite to Mescal’s adult Lucius
- Plus two-time Academy Award winner Denzel Washington — who reunites with Ridley Scott almost 16 years after American Gangster
- HBO veteran and internet heartthrob Pedro Pascal (Game of Thrones, The Last of Us, The Mandalorian)
… along with Connie Nielsen who reprises her role as Lucilla from the Academy Award-winning original and Stranger Things breakout talent Joseph Quinn, ostensibly for a brand-new role.
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In addition to Ridley Scott and Connie Nielsen, the forthcoming historical epic re-welcomes costume designer Janty Yates, and production designer Arthur Max, as well as Djimon Hounsou, who previously portrayed the former slave and aging warrior Juba. Scott is also producing with Michael Pruss via Scott Free alongside Doug Wick and Lucy Fisher via Red Wagon Entertainment.
Seasoned Scott collaborator Dariusz Wolski is serving as director of photography, while David Scarpa (All The Money In The World, Napoleon) has penned the screenplay for this one.
Gladiator 2 starring Paul Mescal, Barry Keoghan, Denzel Washington, and plenty more currently has a November 22nd, 2024 release date — check out the behind-the-scenes content in the carousel above.
