Summary

• The Gladiator 2 trailer reveals epic battles, including Paul Mescal's Lucius vs. Pedro Pascal in the Colosseum.
• The sequel pays homage to the original film with iconic quotes and scenes recreated.
• The story revolves around Lucius seeking revenge against the emperors.

The Gladiator 2 trailer reveals the first look at Ridley Scott's sequel to his Best Picture-winning film from 2000. Directed once again by Scott, with a script written by David Scarpa, the historical epic will center on Paul Mescal as an adult Lucius, the son of Lucilla, who was previously portrayed by Spencer Treat Clark. Other than Mescal in the lead role, the Gladiator 2 cast also includes Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn as Caracalla, Fred Hechinger as Geta, with Connie Nielsen and Derek Jacobi reprising their roles from the first film.

At CinemaCon 2024, with SR in attendance, Paramount premiered the first trailer for Gladiator 2 ahead of its release date. It begins with Pascal being crowned by Caracalla, while Lucius is recruited by Washington. Pascal leads a group of soldiers in battle, while Lucius leads a group of gladiators against a rhino in the arena. There is a lot of naval combat, with Pascal leading the Roman army, and trebuchets. Pascal is forced to fight in the arena, and Mescal eventually enters the arena and fights Pascal in the Colosseum. The trailer ends with impressive sword combat between the two.

Everything Revealed By The Gladiator 2 Footage

Though not available to the public quite yet, there is a lot to be gleaned from the Gladiator 2 trailer screened at CinemaCon. The footage begins by focusing on Washington's character, who says, "I remember that day. I never forgot it; that a slave could take revenge against an emperor; that a slave could get justice in the arena." Here, he seems to be referring to Russell Crowe's Maximus, a Roman general forced into slavery who seeks revenge against Emperor Commodus for killing his family.

As a former slave with a grudge against the current co-emperors, Caracalla and Geta, Washington's character likely relates to Maximus. The sequel's story seems to start with Washington's character recruiting Lucius, who has renounced his noble privileges and has been living in the wild for the past 15 years, to fight in the Colosseum and exact revenge against the emperors. As a child, Lucius idolized Maximus, so it makes sense he is sympathetic to the cause and willing to fight. The footage shows Lucius facing off against a charging rhino and a horde of vicious baboons in the Colosseum.

Meanwhile, the footage also shows Pedro Pascal's character, who seems to be a general or a commander, leading the Roman army to victory and being crowned by Caracalla. It's unclear how, but the sequel seems to culminate in Lucius and Pascal's character facing off in the Colosseum. The co-Emperor Caracalla also appears to an antagonist reminiscent of Commodus who, at one point, imitates his thumbs-up gesture, which in Ancient Rome, was equivalent to today's middle finger.

The Gladiator 2 trailer includes more attempts to honor the original film, including Lucilla giving Lucius the ring that belonged to Maximus. The footage ends with Lucius quoting Maximus, "What we do in life, echoes in eternity," as someone walks across a field touching the grass, recreating the famous scene from the first film. The trailer also ups the ante in terms of action sequences and scale, introducing naval combat. One scene is also described as Ridley Scott's version of the Battle for Minas Tirith from Return of the King, hinting at the sequel's increased scale.

Gladiator 2 releases in theaters on November 22.