Prepare to be entertained — again.
According to Deadline, Gladiator 2 is finally happening, and Ridley Scott is returning to the helm. The original Gladiator, which hit theaters in 2000, was a blockbuster hit as well as a big winner at the Oscars; the film won five awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor for star Russell Crowe.
Now, Scott is bringing Rome back to the big screen in the film’s first-ever sequel.
The new film stars Paul Mescal, best known for his role in the Hulu limited series Normal People. The Irish actor also starred in the critically acclaimed 2022 film Aftersun, which is currently a contender during awards season.
He is also well known across social media as an up-and-coming heartthrob that audiences can’t seem to get enough of. With Gladiator 2, Mescal will see his first leading role in a major studio production.
The original Gladiator film followed Crowe’s Maximus Decimus Meridius in a historical epic of revenge, political upheaval, and bravery. After Joaquin Phoenix’s Commodus kills his father and takes the throne for himself, he orders the brutal murder of Maximus and his family. Maximus escapes and falls into the hands of a man who runs gladiator matches, kickstarting Maximus’s bloody campaign to kill Commodus and enact revenge.
While not much is known about the sequel, we know that Mescal will play Lucius, the son of Connie Nielsen’s Lucilla and nephew to Phoenix’s Commodus in the first movie. Lucius was just a boy in the original film, but now, years after Maximus’s victory guaranteed the safety of Lucius and Lucilla, the young man faces his own trials and tribulations.
The project from Paramount will be Scott’s next movie after his upcoming film Napoleon, another historical epic starring Phoenix in the titular role. Scott is renowned for numerous hits such as Alien and Blade Runner, among others.
Carson Burton is a freelance news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter at @carsonsburton.
Photo by: Lloyd Bishop/NBC via Getty Images
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