International fans should prepare to be entertained a little earlier as the Gladiator 2 release date moves from November 22nd, 2024 to November 15th, 2024. But unfortunately for North America cinemagoers, the originally intended premiere will remain in place.
“I survived it… Somebody’s going to assassinate me if I say anything further,” leading man Paul Mescal, who portrays an adult Lucius Vera, joked about the production on The Graham Norton Show.
From behind-the-scenes footage of a siege battle and talk of an onscreen clash with rabid baboons to the recent set photos depicting Mescal and co-star Denzel Washington in full garb, we’ve developed some idea of what to expect in terms of plot.
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As per the official logline, it’ll follow Mescal’s Lucius Vera — son of Lucilla (Connie Nielson) and nephew of the villainous Emperor Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) — who is inspired by the actions of Maximus Decimus Meridius (Russell Crowe).
During an interview with Rotten Tomatoes, Ridley Scott provided some further insight regarding how Gladiator 2 fits within his ongoing mythology.
“[Lucius] has been in the wilderness for — let’s see, last time when he was 12 — say about 12/15 years later, he’s been out in the wilderness having lost touch with his mother,” revealed the celebrated filmmaker of Alien, Blade Runner, and Napoleon fame.
“His mother has lost touch with him. She doesn’t know where he is. She thinks he might be dead.”
This certainly explains why Paul Mescal has gotten so ripped despite earlier reports indicating that he wouldn’t be stepping into the Colosseum.
It also explains why he’d ever been in a position to fight baboons; something Scott chose to include having been haunted by a video of the primates attacking tourists in Johannesburg (“Baboons are carnivores. Can you hang from that roof for two hours by your left leg? No! A baboon can.”).
Prior to this, Ridley Scott teased the nature of Denzel Washington’s role in Gladiator 2.
“As for Denzel’s character… There were businesses of gladiators who could indeed earn their freedom if they stayed alive. That was the deal. So we went right into that, in-depth,” he explained in an issue of Total Film magazine.
“Where did he come from? How was he taken? He was branded with marks and registered with a brand on his chest as a slave. So that’s how he comes into the story.”
“He’s a rich guy who’s still carrying a grudge.”
Scott, who reunited with Hollywood’s most consistent star 16 years after their first collaboration in American Gangster (which incidentally co-starred Russell Crowe), added: “I respect Denzel Washington tremendously. I shouldn’t call Denzel a golden oldie — he’d f***ing kill me — but he’s gold dust.”
Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington, and Connie Nielson have been joined by a star-studded cast featuring Joseph Quinn as co-emperor Caracalla, Fred Hechinger (replacing Barry Keoghan) as co-emperor Geta; along with Pedro Pascal, May Calamawy, Lior Raz, Peter Mensah, and Matt Lucas.
Djimon Hounsou and Derek Jacobi have also reprised their roles as former gladiator Juba and Senator Gracchus, respectively.
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The forthcoming historical epic also hailed the return of costume designer Janty Yates and production designer Arthur Max; as well as reuniting Scott with two other seasoned collaborators: director of photography Dariusz Wolski and screenwriter David Scarpa (All The Money In The World, Napoleon).
Gladiator 2 release date: November 15th, 2024 (internationally) and November 22nd, 2024 for North America.
Stay tuned for potential updates.
