Gladiator 2 trailer released: Paul Mescal battles Pedro Pascal in thrilling first glimpse of sequel

Denzel Washington also stars in the long-awaited sequel

Excitement for the much-anticipated Gladiator 2 has gone into overdrive after the movie’s trailer was released.

Director Ridley Scott, fresh from releasing Napoleon, has returned for the follow-up to his 2000 Oscar-winning epic, which will focus on Paul Mescal‘s Lucius, the son of Lucilla, who was played by Connie Nielsen in the original.

Mescal, who received an Oscar nomination in 2022 for Aftersun, previously said he will be “profoundly depressed” if the new film makes him even more famous than he already is – but the Irish actor will need to start preparing as the trailer for the movie has now landed.

Pedro Pascal, Denzel Washington, and Stranger Things’ Joseph Quinn are also set to star, with Nielsen reprising her role from the original.

In the trailer Mescal is asked, “Where were you born?” by Washington’s character Macrinus as he responds, “I don’t know, I never knew a mother nor a father.” Subsequent scenes show the colosseum, flashbacks and the Emperor and his allies strategising.

Promotional material for the movie describes the plot as follows: “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 release date for the movie has also been confirmed with its theatrical release set for 15 November this year.

Mescal stars as Lucius (Aidan Monaghan)

Russell Crowe expressed discomfort with the idea of a follow-up to his original, as he refuted claims that he would appear in a flashback.

“Because, of course, I’m dead and I have no say in what gets done,” he said in an interview with Kyle Meredith, going on to explain that he is not a fan of what he has heard of the new film’s plot.

“A couple of the things I’ve heard I’m like, ‘No, no, no, that’s not in the moral journey of that particular character,’” he said.

Washington as Macrinus (Paramount)

“But I can’t say anything, it’s not my place, I’m six feet under. So we’ll see what that is like.”

Asked whether he had spoken to Crowe about the role, Mescal, 28, said: “I don’t know what we would talk about.”

Pedro Pascal plays Marcus Acacius (Paramount)

He continued: “I’d love to hear his stories from filming, but the character is, like, totally separate”.