The latest trailer for Gladiator II, directed by Ridley Scott, has been released. The trailer features several epic scenes, such as a water battle in Rome’s Colosseum and Paul Mescal being attacked by a rhino. All Of Us Strangers star Mescal plays Lucius, who is the nephew of corrupt former Emperor Commodus and fights for his life as a gladiator.
The original film, released in 2000, featured Russell Crowe as soldier-turned-gladiator Maximus. It won five Oscars, including Best Actor. Lucius’s character is the grandson of the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, who featured in the first film, and the trailer sees him recalling childhood memories of the ex-Roman commander Maximus fighting his uncle in the arena.
Gladiatorial contests of the time were described as “bloody entertainment… an opportunity for emperors to display their wealth,” with up to 50,000 spectators watching “contests which were literally a matter of life and death.” The upcoming sequel appears to be about the corruption of power, with worthy, embattled individuals taking on the might of Rome’s rulers.
Initial responses to the trailer were a mixture of positive and negative, with some fans excited for the sequel, while others said it wouldn’t be as good as the original. Gladiator II is released in UK cinemas in November.
Director Ridley Scott made the film because “economically, it makes sense… But these cycles keep going on and on and on, they repeat globally for the last 20 years. It started to spell itself out as an obvious thing to do, and that’s how it evolved.
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