Gladiator II - A Worthy Epic Sequel

Getting a ‘Gladiator’ sequel going wasn’t an easy task. After being rumored to be in development not long after the 2000 film came and went, numerous writers have tried their luck with getting a sequel ready. One reason why there was a major delay was that Paramount purchased some of the DreamWorks library (which included ‘Gladiator’). In 2018, Paramount finally announced the long-awaited sequel!

So, let’s get things rolling and talk about Ridley Scott’s epic sequel ‘Gladiator II.’

Years after witnessing the death of Maximus at the hands of his uncle, Lucius must enter the Colosseum after the powerful emperors of Rome conquer his home.

With rage in his heart and the future of the empire at stake, he looks to the past to find the strength and honor needed to return the glory of Rome to its people.

After 24 years of keeping fans waiting, Ridley Scott finally returned to the cinematic world of ‘Gladiator.’ Just like the acclaimed 2000 film, ‘Gladiator II’ delivers powerful action moments, great scenery and great performances (especially from scene-stealing Denzel Washington).

The arena sequences are just as memorable and exciting as the previous film. There are some moments where those scenes can get a little brutal at times, but it adds to the intensity of the battle scenes. During a couple of the arena scenes, some of them can get a little powerful - especially during a pivotal scene with Lucius and Marcus Acacius.

The main drawback of the arena sequences (and the film in general) is the use of CGI. Now, even though the Rome scenes are great looking, the CGI that’s used for the Colosseum when rhinos and sharks are seen can be a little distracting. Sure, adding sharks can make the arena scenes more intense, I don’t think they really had sharks at the Colosseum during Roman times … or ever. 

The acting in the film is great and Paul Mescal did a decent job as the main lead (though not as memorable as Crowe).  Denzel Washington knocks it out of the park with his role of Macrinus. Washington can be really commanding and sinister and shines in every scene he’s in (Oscar nod anyone?). The two emperors (Joseph Quinn/Fred Hechinger) also were some of the highlights of the film.

So, if you’ve enjoyed the amazing 2000 film, then I’m pretty sure you’ll really enjoy this follow up. Sure, some parts of the story may be similar to the previous film, but it’s still a worthy sequel!

Cast: Paul Mescal (Lucius); Denzel Washington (Macrinus); Pedro Pascal (General Acacius); Connie Nielson (Lucilla); Joseph Quinn (Emperor Gata); Fred Hechniger (Emperor Caracalla); Lior Raz (Viggo); Peter Mensah (Juguntha); Derek Jacobi (Gracchus).

Writer/director: David Scarpa (writer) (Napoleon; All The Money In The World; The Last Castle); Ridley Scott (director)

Trivia: A ‘Gladiator’ follow up has been in some sort of development stage since June 2001. One of the many potential plots even involved Crowe’s character (Maximus) being resurrected and learning more about the Roman afterlife. Scott even noted that he has an idea for a potential third film and the realization depends on the reception of this film.

Rating: R for strong bloody violence   (running time 148 minutes)

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• In an interview with Simon Mayo, Ridley Scott explained how he sold the set from Kingdom of Heaven to the Moroccan government for $10 as it was cheaper than dismantling it. He then had to rehire it from the same government for use in this movie as the city seen at the very start.

• In the years following the release of the first film, there were numerous attempts to write a sequel. Musician Nick Cave was invited to draft a version by Russell Crowe and Sir Ridley Scott. His version focused on the more mythical elements of Ancient Rome, and would have seen Maximus arrive in the afterlife, only to be faced with other souls who are yet to ascend further. He is eventually tasked by Jupiter and other Roman deities to return to earth to find and kill Hephaestus, a former deity who has betrayed them. From there, he is resurrected as a Christian and finds himself journeying back to Rome, on a mission to stop Christianity from spreading, while crossing paths with the new Emperor, Lucius. The movie would have ended with Maximus being cursed to live for an eternity, featuring a montage of the soldier battling through the Crusades, World War II, and the Vietnam War, eventually revealing a modern-day Maximus working at the Pentagon in Washington. The studio decided not to go through with this version, but the script is available to read online. --- WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THIS PROPOSED PLOT FOR GLADIATOR II?

• While most of the cast members have adopted a British accent for their roles (including the Irish Paul Mescal), Denzel Washington was criticized for keeping his own American (New York) accent in the trailer. He commented on this by saying: "Whose accent would it be? What does that sound like anyway? You're going to end up imitating someone and end up with a bad African accent." What may have contributed to Washington's decision was that he had already received some backlash for using a London accent in one of his early movies, For Queen & Country (1988). DESPITE HIS BROOKLYN ACCENT USED, IT REALLY DIDN'T RUIN THE FILM AT ALL I THINK!

• Connie Nielsen and Sir Derek Jacobi are the only returning cast members from the first film.

• It was reported that Timothée Chalamet, Miles Teller, Austin Butler, Richard Madden and Paul Mescal met or auditioned for director Sir Ridley Scott, with Mescal being one of the firsts, and leaving a lasting impression on Scott. Mescal was eventually cast in the lead role.

• The first trailer received 128 million online views within the first 24 hours, the second-most of any Paramount film, after Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (2023), with 238 million views.

• Universal Pictures declined to co-finance the film, as they had with DreamWorks Pictures (whose pre-2011 library is owned by Paramount Pictures) on Gladiator (2000).

• This is the second time Sir Ridley Scott directed a sequel to his own film, after Alien: Covenant (2017), the sequel to Prometheus (2012), which was a prequel to his Alien (1979). He also directed Hannibal (2001), the sequel to The Silence of the Lambs (1991), directed by Jonathan Demme.

https://youtu.be/4rgYUipGJNo?si=rH8S-TOnxOxUUynI