Everything We Know About Gladiator 2, Ridley Scott's Long-Awaited Sequel

Are you not entertained? Because Ridley Scott is returning to his place of highest success, the film that has won more awards than any other he has made in his over four-decade-long career. "Gladiator" picked up five Oscars the year after its release, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Russell Crowe, and it has since been regarded as one of the best movies of its genre and the 2000s. Incidentally, a follow-up has been in the making, in some form or another, for over two decades now.

But the shape of the as-yet-untitled "Gladiator 2" has changed considerably. As it now stands, the sequel is going to follow Lucius Verus, the young boy from "Gladiator" who inadvertently told his conniving, regicidal uncle Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) of the plot to topple him. Though Lucius bore the name of his alleged real-life co-emperor father, he will be revealed as the son of Maximus (Crowe) and his former lover Lucilla (Connie Nielsen), Scott said all the way back in 2006.

Set to take place 25–30 years after the first film, the new "Gladiator" movie — which may not even bear that title, given what it's about — is expected to follow Lucius as he becomes the new Roman emperor. That naturally necessitates said big time jump. Crowe shared that premise in January 2023, when he also admitted that he won't be returning, given his character succumbed to his wounds at the end of "Gladiator." But fret not, for the cast of the sequel is absolutely stacked.

The titular star of "Gladiator" isn't the only one who's not coming back. Though Spencer Treat Clark ("Glass," "Weird: The Al Yankovic Story") played Lucius Verus when he was 12 years old in 1999, the now 35-year-old won't reprise his role. Instead, Paul Mescal ("Normal People") has been roped in to take over as Lucius in the lead.

Mescal was added to the cast of "Gladiator 2" at the start of 2023. Then in March, we got an exciting addition in the form of Denzel Washington ("The Equalizer"). Details are slim, but Ridley Scott has apparently crafted a "badass" role for the 68-year-old. Then in April, it was revealed that Connie Nielsen ("Wonder Woman") would return to play Lucilla. Alongside, Joseph Quinn — known as Eddie Munson from "Stranger Things 4" — was cast in the new "Gladiator" film as Caracalla, who served as co- and sole Roman emperor between A.D. 198 and 217.

"Gladiator" began in A.D. 180, and with the aforementioned 30-year time jump, the presence of Caracalla makes sense for "Gladiator 2." Of course, these movies are historical fiction, so don't go expecting any Roman history lessons when you step into the theatre. After all, though Lucilla had a son named Lucius, he was a little-known senator who died in A.D. 211/212.

And then at the start of May, Pedro Pascal ("The Last of Us") was brought on board. Later that month, the sequel added five more actors: May Calamawy ("Moon Knight," "Ramy"), Peter Mensah ("Avatar"), Matt Lucas ("Bridesmaids"), Fred Hechinger ("The White Lotus"), and Derek Jacobi.

While no details were given about most of them, we're told Hechinger is set to play the real-life Geta, who served as Roman co-emperor between A.D. 209 and 211. He takes over from Barry Keoghan ("Eternals"), who had to drop out due to a scheduling conflict. Jacobi is back as Gracchus, a Roman senator in the original film who allied with Lucilla and Maximus.

Paramount Pictures — which is distributing the sequel — has scheduled the "Gladiator" sequel for release in the U.S. on November 22, 2024. That means it will arrive in cinemas almost exactly a year on from Scott's next film, the Joaquin Phoenix and Vanessa Kirby-led "Napoleon," coming November 22, 2023. ("Napoleon" writer David Scarpa, in fact, is also responsible for the "Gladiator 2" screenplay.)

Filming is expected to start in June 2023 — sets were being constructed in Morocco in April — though it's unclear if the ongoing Hollywood writers' strike will have any impact. Famously, the original "Gladiator" had an incomplete script when it entered production and was extensively rewritten as it was shot. (Still, somehow, defying all odds, Ridley Scott delivered a masterpiece.) Given June is just a few weeks away and the writers' strike is expected to last for months, that'll not be an option for the sequel.

That said, Scott hasn't had great success going back to the well. Only twice in his career has the octogenarian done a follow-up — "Prometheus" in 2012 and "Alien: Covenant" in 2017, both belonging to the same franchise as his 1979 legendary "Alien" that started it all and served as his Hollywood breakthrough. But seeing as he wasn't able to hit those heights, it'll be interesting to see if he can turn things around this time with "Gladiator 2."