We can consider CinemaCon entertained given early reactions to Ridley Scott’s Gladiator 2, which was previewed in its unfinished glory this past week.
The clip reportedly opened with a voiceover of Mescal’s Lucius Verus: “I remember that day. I never forgot it. That a slave could take revenge against an emperor. That a slave could get justice in the arena.”
From there, we see Lucius enter the Colosseum as Denzel Washington’s character, an incensed ex-slave turned arms dealer who ostensibly serves as a mentor to the young hero, tells him: “This is what they believe in. Power!”
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Now here’s where things get… wild.
As outlandish as it may sound, rest assured, it’s historically accurate: a flooded Colosseum serves as the stage of an epic naval battle (boats and all). Someone even falls off one of the boats before getting swiftly devoured by a shark.
Somewhere along the way, Lucius also battles some rabid baboons and a goddamn rhino.
“You have something in you, smoke, rage. Rage is your gift,” says Washington’s character.
More battle scenes, more carnage. The villainous co-Emperor Caracalla (Joseph Quinn) traipses about dramatically to serve as this sequel’s Commodus.
Denzel Washington continues: “The only truth in Rome is the law of the strongest. You will be my instrument.”
There’s a preview of Pedro Pascal’s character fighting five men at once; Connie Nielsen reprises her role as Lucilla to hand Lucius a ring that belonged to Russell Crowe’s Maximus Decimus Meridius; all building to a fight between Washington and Pascal.
The footage is punctuated with Quinn’s Caracalla proclaiming that “The gods have spoken!” as Mescal’s Lucius decapitates a man.
Per the official logline, the long-awaited Gladiator 2 follows Paul Mescal as an adult Lucius Vera, son of Lucilla (Nielson) and nephew of the villainous Emperor Commodus (Phoenix), who is inspired by the actions of Maximus Decimus Meridius (Crowe).
During a recent interview with Rotten Tomatoes, Ridley Scott — acclaimed director of Alien, Blade Runner, and Napoleon fame — had this to say:
“[Lucius] has been in the wilderness for — let’s see, last time when he was 12 — say about 12/15 years later, he’s been out in the wilderness having lost touch with his mother. His mother has lost touch with him. She doesn’t know where he is. She thinks he might be dead.”
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The aforementioned thespians are joined by a star-studded cast featuring Fred Hechinger (replacing Barry Keoghan) as co-emperor Geta; along with 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 hails the return of 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).
November 22nd could not come any sooner.
