Gladiator 2 Starring Paul Mescal Will Entertain In 2024

Are you not entertained? Ridley Scott's "Gladiator" was a massive hit, coming in second at the global box office in 2000 behind "Mission: Impossible II" and taking home five Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Russell Crowe's turn as the Hispano-Roman general turned enslaved (and vengeful) gladiator fighter, Maximus Decimus Meridius. The film didn't exactly usher in a shiny new era for the sword-and-sandal flick, although it did lead to some rather profitable entries in the sub-genre ("Troy," "300"), along with some busts we're probably better off forgetting. Even Scott has failed to repeat its commercial success with his historical epics since then, which is too bad seeing as some of them are quite good.

After years of rumors and one abandoned (and, by the sound of it, pretty dang wild) version that would've followed a newly-resurrected Maximus on a quest to slay a Christ-like figure named Hephaestos, "Gladiator 2" has officially received a Commodus-style thumbs up and is moving forward under Scott's watchful eye. "How could I not do that? It would be critically stupid of me not to do that, wouldn't it?" as the filmmaker previously put it in 2021. Ah, yes, there's the cantankerous visual stylist with the relentless work ethic we all love and admire. Well, most of the time.

On that note, here's everything we know about "Gladiator 2" so far.

Where "Gladiator" was backed by DreamWorks and Universal, "Gladiator 2" will be released in theaters by Paramount. Ridley Scott himself only just ventured into the realm of streaming for the first time with his biopic "Napoleon," which is set to stream on Apple TV+ in the latter half of 2023 after (most likely) receiving a limited theatrical run to qualify it for awards consideration. One suspects Scott didn't exactly change the way he makes movies with "Napoleon," so he shouldn't have any trouble jumping back in the saddle with the theatrical-exclusive "Gladiator" sequel.

Paramount emerged as one of the big winners at the 2022 box office after opting to release a more varied batch of movies than the other major studios, including the runaway smash-hit "Top Gun: Maverick" (although the financial failure of Damien Chazelle's costly "Babylon" put a damper on things). No doubt, the studio is hoping "Gladiator 2" will prove to be another hugely-popular, long-awaited follow up when it reaches the big screen on November 22, 2024 (via Deadline), despite being a substantially different type of franchise continuation than the "Top Gun" legacy sequel was.

The film's producers have long confirmed "Gladiator 2" will pick up (more or less) in real-time, taking place over 20 years after the events of the original movie. But if you're banking on Russell Crowe reprising Maximus in some fashion (be it a dream scene or, Zeus forbid, in a digitally de-aged flashback), it's best to adjust your expectations. Speaking on the "Fitzy & Wippa" podcast (via MovieWeb), Crowe said Ridley Scott has kept him in the loop on the sequel's development, but reaffirmed that the sequel will center on the grown-up version of Lucius Verus, the son of Maximus's former lover Lucilla. He also indicated there are currently no plans to have Maximus show up in any shape or form:

"But yeah, if you remember, there was a young kid [Lucius] who wanted to beat the Gladiator, which leads to the 'My name is' speech. So that young kid has grown up, and he's now the Emperor. I don't know what else happens at that point, so that's the idea. So it's not a remake. And it's not a direct sequel. It's not like the day after, you know, 30 years later or something."

Will "Gladiator 2" reveal that Lucius is secretly Maximus's son and, as such, the closest thing to a "chosen one" in the grounded world of "Gladiator?" That's the popular theory right now, although the film could just as easily see Lucius being influenced by Maximus's legacy in a more figurative sense, so far as his political outlook and approach to ruling are concerned. That wouldn't be the first time the sequel to a Ridley Scott movie found a way to subvert the "chosen one" trope while also examining the baggage that comes with it.

Ridley Scott is directing "Gladiator 2" from a script draft by David Scarpa, who previously wrote Scott's Getty family biopic "All the Money in the World" and his upcoming "Napoleon" film. Scott will also produce the sequel with Michael Pruss, Doug Wick, and Lucy Fisher. On the other side of the camera, Paul Mescal is lined up to portray the now-grown Lucius, which is exciting news coming on the heels of his acclaimed performance in the series "Normal People" and especially his heart-breaking turn in Charlotte Wells's phenomenal feature directing debut "Aftersun." He will assume the role from Spencer Treat Clark, who portrayed Lucius as a youngin' in the original "Gladiator" and has remained active as an adult actor but didn't get invited back for one reason or another.

While neither Russell Crowe nor Joaquin Phoenix are expected to return in any manner as, respectively, Maximus and Lucius's uncle Commodus after their fight to the death at the end of the first "Gladiator" film, it's plausible Connie Nielsen will reprise her role as Lucius's mother Lucilla, with Djimon Hounsou also a real possibility to return as Maximus's ally Juba. Expect more updates on that front in the foreseeable future as Scott gears up to start production on the as-yet-untitled sequel. ("Gladiator 224 AD?" So long as it's not subtitled "A Gladiator Story," we're good, honestly.)