Paul Mescal Fights Rhinos and Monkeys in New Trailer For Gladiator II

By Nadira Begum  |  September 23, 2024 | 4:00pm
Movies News Ridley Scott
Paul Mescal Fights Rhinos and Monkeys in New Trailer For Gladiator II

A second trailer has been released for Gladiator II, the highly anticipated sequel to Ridley Scott’s Oscar-winning 2000 film Gladiator.

Set 20 years after the events of the original film, the film’s new trailer finally confirms the fan theory that Lucius (Paul Mescal) is the son of Maximus Decimus Meridius, Russell Crowe’s gladiator from the original film. The trailer shows Lucius as he follows in his father’s footsteps to seek revenge on General Acacius (Pedro Pascal) for the death of his family. He nobly declares that he doesn’t fight for power, but rather “to free Rome from men like them,” as the Scott’s trailer whizzes through multiple fight sequences set in the Colosseum.

One such sequence is a realization of the infamous rhino battle that Scott had to cut from the original film due to budgetary restraints. With a reported $310M budget this time around, and after a two-decade wait during which time Scott oversaw multiple rewrites of David Scarpa’s script, it’s no wonder that the director has managed to find time for both rhinos and man-eating monkeys in his sequel.

After the success of the original, which saw Russell Crowe win the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance, much intrigue has surrounded the performance of this new cast. Joining Mescal (who plays a worryingly on-brand tortured hero) and Pascal is Stranger Things breakout Joseph Quinn, who is sufficiently creepy as the bloodthirsty co-emperor of Rome, Emperor Geta. The trailer also showcases more of Denzel Washington’s laidback, calculating Macrinus, a former slave who plots to take control of Rome. What Washington lacks in accent work he makes up for in pure swagger—it feels impossible to not be mesmerized by the dangle of his golden hoops and the power-hungry glint in his eyes.

Boasting more violence—and more primates—than the original, Gladiator II hits theaters on November 22, 2024. You can watch the new Gladiator II trailer below:

 
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