The sequel adds a new emperor to the plot, who breaks the promise of peace and republican status for Rome.
«Gladiator 2», the upcoming historical film by Ridley Scott, is considered one of the most anticipated releases of 2024. In the sequel, Paul Mescal stars as the nephew of Emperor Commodus Lucius, who returns to Rome as an adult. Among them of the cast Pedro Pascal, Barry Keoghan, Denzel Washington, and Connie Nielsen will also appear.
Despite the fact that «Gladiator 2» continues the action of the original 2000 film, some storylines are somewhat contradictory to the ending. At the end of the first film, Maximus kills Commodus, promising peace and the transformation of Rome into a democratic republic, but the plot of the sequel, as noted by Screen Rant seems to imply that the promise will not be kept.
In the sequel, Rome is ruled by the brother emperors Caracalla and Geta, and, according to Roman history, the former quickly turns into a tyrant. Probably, «Gladiator 2» will show the assassination of Geta and the stealing of the throne by his brother. Subsequently, disorder and massacres will spread throughout the Roman Empire, and Caracalla will behave as a selfish and inactive ruler.
In fact, after the release of «Gladiator 2», the final scenes of the original may not seem so optimistic, as the audience will now know that the victory will not be long-lasting, and one cruel ruler will be replaced by a possibly even worse one.
- «Gladiator», which debuted in 2000, has earned over $460 million at the global box office and received 12 «Oscar» nominations, winning 5 statuettes, including Best Picture». The role of Maximus, a Roman general turned gladiator, helped Russell Crowe win the «Oscar» for Best Actor.
Ridley Scott will return to the director’s chair and produce the sequel in collaboration with Michael Pruss, Doug Wick, and Lucy Fisher. The screenwriter of the project — David Scarpa. Also returning from the original film are John Mathison (director of photography), Arthur Max (production designer) and Janty Yates (costume designer).
The film is scheduled for release on November 22, 2024.