‘Gladiator II’ Trailer: Paul Mescal Battles Pedro Pascal to Avenge His Roman Royal Family Legacy in Ridley Scott’s Sequel
Paul Mescal is asking if the Roman Empire is entertained in “Gladiator II.”
Mescal leads Ridley Scott’s highly-anticipated epic sequel as Lucius, the nephew of Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) who was killed by Russell Crowe’s Maximus. Lucius is the son of Lucilla (Connie Nielsen) and grandson of Marcus Aurelius. “Gladiator II” is set 20 years after the events of the first film, with the estimated era for the sequel being 200 A.D.
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“Stranger Things” star Joseph Quinn, Pedro Pascal, and Denzel Washington co-star.
The official synopsis reads: “From legendary director Ridley Scott, ‘Gladiator II’ continues the epic saga of power, intrigue, and vengeance set in Ancient Rome. Years after witnessing the death of the revered hero Maximus at the hands of his uncle, Lucius (Mescal) is forced to enter the Colosseum after his home is conquered by the tyrannical Emperors who now lead Rome with an iron fist. With rage in his heart and the future of the Empire at stake, Lucius must look to his past to find strength and honor to return the glory of Rome to its people.”
The Paramount Pictures sequel is written by Scott’s “Napoleon” screenwriter David Scarpa. Original “Gladiator” collaborators, costume designer Janty Yates and production designer Arthur Max, are returning along with director-producer Scott. Scott Free President Michael Pruss, plus Doug Wick and Lucy Fisher via Red Wagon Entertainment, are also producing.
The film is executive produced by Walter Parkes, Laurie MacDonald, Raymond Kirk, and Aidan Elliott, with Douglas Wick, Ridley Scott, Lucy Fisher, Michael Pruss, and David Franzoni producing.
New “Gladiator” lead Mescal previously told Esquire that he was “stressed” about “Gladiator 2” since it’s the “biggest” film he’s ever starred in. He added that Scott “pays homage” to the first “Gladiator” while still embracing a more modern story.
“I can’t tell you how stressed I am talking about that film in particular, because it’s definitely the biggest one I’ve done,” Mescal said. “I feel really excited, but, like, it’s difficult to get away from the legacy of the film a bit. I think it’s really well written and it pays homage to the first one, but it’s very much something that I think I can step into and make comfortably my own.”
He recently told Vanity Fair that the film is a “very ‘angry young man’ drama” from the perspective of Lucius and his revenge story.
“He can see the way Rome has kind of fallen in on itself,” Mescal said. “Rome represents all the personal neglect that he felt as a child. Suddenly he’s thrust back into that world and has direct proximity to all of the things that he thinks he hates and doesn’t feel attached to anymore.”
As for his transformation into warrior Lucius, Mescal credited the workouts for also putting him a different “psychological” space for the character.
“Muscles start to grow, and that can be deemed aesthetic in certain capacities, but there is something about feeling strong in your body that elicits just a different feeling. You carry yourself differently,” Mescal said. “It has an impact on you psychologically in a way that is useful for the film.”
“Gladiator 2” premieres November 22 in theaters. Check out the trailer below.
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