- Sequel to Gladiator comes 24 years after the first film
- Pedro Pascal and Paul Mescal taking lead roles this time around
- Film centers on character inspired by the actions of Maximus in the first film
It’s been 24 years since the first blockbuster movie hit our screens.
And now more information for the much-anticipated second installment of Gladiator has arrived – and fans can’t get enough.
The news comes after some lucky viewers got a sneak-peek clip of the film at Paramount’s CinemaCon in Las Vegas – and, of course, it would be rude not to share some of the goss with the rest of the Internet.
We already know that the film – which has been confirmed to be released under the imaginatively titled Gladiator II – is set to star actors Pedro Pascal and Paul Mescal, but it has now been revealed that Mescal will reportedly play a nobleman who has renounced his privilege after being inspired by Maximus, Russell Crowe’s character from the first installment.
His character name is also said to be Lucius – the grown-up son of Connie Nielsen’s Lucilla from the first movie.
“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,” Mescal said in the clip.
The Irish star will face off against Pascal – a military figure who is forced to become a gladiator – in the arena, as well as a charging rhino, sharks and a horde of vicious baboons.
When the news broke on Twitter/X, fans waited with baited breath as the media teased what they’d just witnessed.
“I haven’t been excited for a Ridley Scott film in a while but Gladiator 2 looks absolutely bad ass,” said journalist Scott Menzel. “This looks epic in every sense of the word. Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, and Denzel Washington take center stage in the footage that was shown. Looks like a major awards player.”
He added, “Film twitter is going to absolutely lose their shit when they see the battle between Pedro Pascal and Paul Mescal in Gladiator 2.”
“Gladiator 2 already being epically lauded. The way I’m so excited for this. For the entire cast & crew. For Pedro Pascal. Oscar noms incoming?! I’m so ready to see little Pedro Pascal from Santiago, Chile give an Oscar acceptance speech,” one excited fan wrote.
Others couldn’t contain their frustration at the trailer still being kept under wraps, which sparked a flurry of funny memes.
“There’s a gladiator 2 sneak peek in there,” wrote one, alongside a gif of a man kicking a door down.
Another added, “Me pretending i don’t care about sweaty bloody broad shouldered Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn and Paul mescal in gladiator 2 so that they drop the trailer sooner.”
Someone else joked, “Wdym i wake up and still no gladiator 2 trailer i wanna see my man bloody and sweaty in a skirt or whatever.”
The star-studded cast will no doubt be hoping to emulate the success of the first film. Crowe, 60, won an Oscar for his role in the movie, while Joaquin Phoenix was nominated for the prestigious Best Supporting Actor gong at the same ceremony.
Pascal, 49, was recently Emmy-award nominated for his role as Joel Miller in the HBO hit apocalyptic series The Last of Us, while Mescal, 28, scored an Oscar nomination for his part in the 2022 film, Aftersun.
Director Ridley Scott revealed last year that he was inspired to cast Mescal after watching Normal People. “I was thinking, ‘Who the hell is this Paul Mescal?’ And then I watched the whole series,” he said. “And then, suddenly, Gladiator 2 came up, because the script was working pretty well. And I kept thinking about Paul. And that was it.”
