Ridley Scott filmed the biggest action sequence of his career in 'Gladiator II'

This year we will have the premiere in theaters of one of the most anticipated sequels of the year, Gladiator 2. This new installment is set several decades after the events of the acclaimed Gladiator of Ridley Scottwho returns as director.

Expectations for the project are high, and Scott's recent statements to Empire Magazine only increase the excitement.

Scott told Empire that his return to the Roman Colosseum is bigger than ever before:

“We start the movie with probably the biggest action sequence I've ever done. Probably bigger than anything in Napoleon.”

We take Scott's statements seriously, after all he is the director of films like the original installment. Gladiatorfilm classics such as Alien y Thelma & Louiseaction and drama alike in G.I. Jane, Robin Hoody Black Hawk Downand epic action films like Kindgom of Heaven, Exodus: Gods and Kings, The Last Duely Napoleon.

Gladiator II It is set more than two decades after the events of the first film in ancient Rome; focuses on Lucius (Paul Mescal), grandson of the former Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius and now adult son of the emperor Commoduswho resides with his family in Numidia. After ending up in slavery following an invasion led by the Roman general Marcus Acacius (Pedro Pascal), Lucius wants his own revenge story and competes as a gladiator after being inspired by the exploits of Maximus (Russell Crowe) as a child.

Mescal plays the adult version of Lucius, a role played by Spencer Treat Clark in the original installment.

As seen in the first official trailer shared in recent days by Paramount Pictures, some of the action-packed scenes involve Mescal inside the Coliseum ready to take on a rhinoceros. On the construction of the animal, Scott said:

“Computerisation and artificial intelligence are two things that you have to embrace. I can have a computer read every molecule and every wrinkle on a rhino and then cut it into a thick piece of plastic, exactly like a rhino’s body, which then conforms to the shape of a skeleton. I have this thing that can go 40 miles an hour, spin in place, shake its head and grunt. A two-ton rhino with a man on its back! I mean, it’s so much fun.”

Are we entertained?

The rest of the great cast is made up of Denzel Washington, Joseph Quinn (Stranger Things) in an antagonistic role as the Emperor Geta, Fred Hechinger (The White Lotus, Thelma) like the Emperor Caracalla, Rory McCann (Game of Thrones), Matt Lucas (Wonka), and the returns of Connie Nielsen like Lucilla, and that of Sir Derek Jacobi like Gracchus

Gladiator (2000) from Scott, winner of the Academy Award for Best Picture, followed the story of Maximus Decimus Meridius (Russell Crowe), a former general who is forced to be a common gladiator under the rule of Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix), a self-proclaimed patricide emperor of Rome.

SYNOPSIS:

“From legendary director Ridley Scott, Gladiator II continues the epic saga of power, intrigue and revenge set in Ancient Rome. Years after witnessing the death of the revered hero Maximus at the hands of his uncle, Lucius (Paul Mescal) is forced to enter the Colosseum after his home is conquered by the tyrannical emperors who now rule Rome with an iron fist. With rage in his heart and the future of the Empire at stake, Lucius must look to his past to find strength and ​​honor to restore the glory of Rome to its people.”

David Scarpa write the script for Gladiator 2marking a new collaboration with Scott, after having written the script for All the Money in the World.

Scott directs and produces the sequel launched in November 2018. Michael Pruss is also a producer, along with Doug Wick and Lucy Fisher. Walter Parkes and Laurie MacDonald are executive producers.

Several members of the original film's behind-the-scenes crew have returned to work on the sequel, including director of photography John Matieson, while Arthur Max and Janty Yates return to production design and costume design, respectively.

Paramount set the release date for Gladiator 2 by November 22, 2024.