The Gladiator II Trailer Delivers Epic Action (And Paul Mescal Fighting A Rhino)

24 years after we first witnessed the majesty of Ridley Scott's "Gladiator," the esteemed director is returning for one more go round the Colosseum. "Gladiator II" isn't due out until late November 2024, but we've finally gotten our first glimpse of the epic action with the release of the first trailer.

Footage from "Gladiator II" was shown at CinemaCon 2024, where /Film's Ryan Scott described the five minutes of unfinished footage as "nothing short of spectacular." Since then we've had to make do with the tidbits of information that have been released for the film — though details have been somewhat sparse so far. We do know "Gladiator II" is set 25-30 years after the first film, and that the cast is about as stacked as they come. Paul Mescal stars as Lucius Verus, son of Roman Empress Lucilla, who's played by a returning Connie Nielsen. Alongside Mescal, Denzel Washington will no doubt imbue the whole affair with an inhuman amount of on-screen charisma as Macrinus, a formerly enslaved individual who became wealthy and began supplying weapons to the Romans. Alongside these two top-tier actors, "Gladiator II" will also star Joseph Quinn, Pedro Pascal, May Calamawy, Peter Mensah, Matt Lucas, Fred Hechinger, and Derek Jacobi. Not bad, really, and a good way to make up for the fact that Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix will, of course, not be returning this time around.

With 24 years of anticipation propelling it, a stellar cast, a gigantic budget that may prevent the film from becoming a box office hit, and a set that made Crowe himself jealous, "Gladiator II" was already shaping up to be one of 2024's most-hyped films. Now, we've been able to lay eyes on Scott's long-awaited sequel, and it's looking like it might just live up to the hype.

The "Gladiator II" trailer starts with some flashbacks to Ridley Scott's 2000 film, with Paul Mescal's Lucius Verus recalling how witnessing Russell Crowe's Maximus "take revenge against an emperor" made a big impression on him, before revealing that he didn't ever know who his mother or father was. That seems to work out well for Denzel Washington's Macrinus, who tells Lucius that he will become his "instrument," which essentially means Lucius will be made to face-off against a whole host of adversaries in the colosseum. The first major rival he faces? A full-on rhino. Yes, as the trailer reveals, Lucius will seemingly take on the hulking beast in his first major duel.

But even the rhino surely won't give Lucius as much trouble as taking on the entire Roman empire, which is his ultimate goal here. The enslaved warrior tells Macrinus that he wants the heads of the "entire Roman armies" before setting his sights on Pedro Pascal's general Marcus Acacius. It seems we'll eventually get to witness a full showdown between Marcus and Lucius, which should make for one heck of a finale.

Whether Lucius and Macrinus will succeed in their desire to bring about the fall of Rome itself remains unclear, but the trailer promises a truly action-filled epic, with Mescal clearly having committed to this role in a real way. Anyone who saw his subtle and affecting performance in the crushingly sentimental drama "All of Us Strangers" will likely be surprised by the sheer amount of unbridled rage on display here. But that's ultimately a good thing, as Lucius is going to need all the anger he can muster to bring down Rome itself.

"Gladiator II" opens in theaters on November 22, 2024.