It may be several more months until Gladiator II is officially unveiled, but it's already proving to be a trending topic of chatter on social media among film fans.
A teaser for the Ridley Scott-directed Roman Empire epic was released last week, marking another step in a two-decade journey to finally seeing the sequel to 2000's Gladiator brought to life. Such is the thirst for the sequel, the trailer received 15 million views on YouTube alone.
The 2000 action film starred Russell Crowe in the lead role of Maximus, alongside Joaquin Phoenix, Richard Harris, Connie Nielsen, and Oliver Reed. Gladiator was nominated for 12 Academy Awards, and won five of them including Best Picture. Crowe won an Oscar for Best Actor.
It's been a long time coming for the sequel, which was in development from the early aughts. Development was halted when DreamWorks sold the rights to the film to Paramount in 2006.
After more than a decade's wait, the film was finally announced in 2018. Paul Mescal was cast in the lead role in January 2023, with filming taking place starting June of that year. Following a monthslong hiatus amid last year's actors and writers strikes in Hollywood, filming concluded in January 2024.
With the upcoming movie trending on social media over the past several days, Newsweek has shared details of what fans can expect.
'Gladiator II' Plot, Cast
Mescal stars as Lucius Verus, the nephew of the first film's villain Commodus (Phoenix). As an adult, Lucius will be forced to fight as a gladiator much like Maximus whom he grows to idolize.
The sequel boasts a star-studded cast that includes Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, and Stranger Things actor Joseph Quinn. Nielsen will reprise her role as Lucilla, the mother of Lucius.
Oscar winner Washington takes on the role of Macrinus, a former slave who becomes an arms dealer and maintains a stable of gladiators. Game of Thrones star Pascal features as Roman general Marcus Acacius, who trained under Maximus. Acacius will be seen at the helm of an army aiming to take over North Africa.
Meanwhile, Quinn will be seen sporting a look completely different from his days on Stranger Things, joining the film to star as Emperor Geta.
Mescal, who shot to fame in the 2020 miniseries Normal People, landed his coveted Gladiator II role in markedly unexpected fashion.
Daria Cercek, Paramount motion picture co-head, told Variety in July 2023 that the producers' decision to bring Mescal onboard was partially influenced by the the reception he got when starring in the revival of A Streetcar Named Desire in London's West End.
"He played Stanley, and there are several moments where he takes off his shirt and it was electric," Cercek said, adding that "the ladies in the audience were very vocal."
"We were like, 'I think we've found our guy,'" Cercek added of the Irish heartthrob.
'Gladiator II' Release Date
Fans impatiently awaiting the release of Gladiator II have a little while longer before they're able to flock to theaters to watch it.
The movie is set to be released in the United States on November 22, one week after it debuts across the pond in the United Kingdom.
Interestingly, it will open on the same day in the U.S. as the big screen adaptation of Broadway sensation Wicked, prompting some cinephiles to compare it to last year's movies Barbie and Oppenheimer. The clashing releases of those movies was dubbed "Barbenheimer."
In much the same fashion, the Wicked and Gladiator II pre-Thanksgiving release date has led to the coining of the name "Wickediator"—although the jury is out on whether it will take off in the same way that "Barbenheimer" did.
"'Wickdiator' doesn't really roll off the tongue does it?" Mescal said in an interview with Entertainment Tonight earlier this month. "I think my preference would probably be 'Glicked' if it has a similar effect to what it did for Barbie and Oppenheimer."
He added: "It would be amazing because I think the films couldn't be more polar opposites and it worked in that context previously. So fingers crossed people come out and see both films on opening weekend."
Correction 07/23/24, 11:48 a.m. ET: A previous version of this article erroneously referred to Lucius as Commodus.
About the writer
Ryan Smith is a Newsweek Senior Pop Culture and Entertainment Reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on ... Read more
