Earlier this year, when the casting of Denzel Washington for Gladiator 2 had been confirmed, his role was something of a mystery. Not that we particularly cared about the lack of detail, to be honest. Personally, Iโd watch the man play an Italian shoe and (probably) still have a good time.
But now, director Ridley Scott โ who reunites with Washington 16 years after their first collaboration in American Gangster โ has finally teased what we can expect from Hollywoodโs most consistent star.
โAs for Denzelโs characterโฆ There were businesses of gladiators who could indeed earn their freedom if they stayed alive. That was the deal. So we went right into that, in-depth,โ Scott explained in this monthโs issue of Total Film magazine.
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โWhere did he come from? How was he taken? He was branded with marks and registered with a brand on his chest as a slave. So thatโs how he comes into the story.โ
โHeโs a rich guy whoโs still carrying a grudge.โ
Scott added: โI respect Denzel Washington tremendously. I shouldnโt call Denzel a golden oldie โ heโd f***ing kill me โ but heโs gold dust.โ
In the same interview, Ridley Scott explained why he cast rising star Paul Mescal as the adult version of Lucius Verus; son of Lucilla (Connie Nielson) and nephew of the villainous Emperor Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix), who is inspired by the actions of Russell Croweโs Maximus Decimus Meridius.
Amusingly enough, like many of us, the octogenarian first discovered Mescal from the steamy and emotionally raw Normal People.
โI watched Normal People. Itโs not my kind of show but I saw four episodes in a row โ boom, boom, boom,โ said Scott.
โI was thinking, โWho the hell is this Paul Mescal?โ And then I watched the whole series. And then, suddenly, Gladiator 2 came up, because the script was working pretty well. And I kept thinking about Paul. And that was it.โ
โCan I see Paul Mescal being as big as Russell Crowe? For sure.โ
RELATED: โGladiator IIโ Behind-The-Scenes Footage Hints At Siege Battle
Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington, and a returning Connie Nielson will be joined by a star-studded cast featuring Joseph Quinn as co-emperor Caracalla, Fred Hechinger (who replaces Barry Keoghan as co-emperor Geta); along with Pedro Pascal, May Calamawy, Lior Raz, Peter Mensah, and Matt Lucas.
Djimon Hounsou and Derek Jacobi reprise their roles as former gladiator Juba and Senator Gracchus, respectively.
The forthcoming historical epic also reintroduces costume designer Janty Yates and production designer Arthur Max; as well as reuniting Scott with two other seasoned collaborators: director of photography Dariusz Wolski and screenwriter David Scarpa (All The Money In The World, Napoleon).
Gladiator 2 starring Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington, and plenty more currently has a November 22nd, 2024 release date.
Thereโs more where that came from: we watched and ranked the top 10 Denzel Washington movies. Check it out now.
