Gladiator 2 movie storyline. Over two decades after the events of Gladiator (2000), Lucius—the grandson of Rome’s former emperor Marcus Aurelius and son of Lucilla and Maximus—lives with his wife and child in Numidia. Roman soldiers led by General Marcus Acacius invade, killing his wife and forcing Lucius into slavery. Inspired by the story of Maximus, Lucius resolves to fight as a gladiator under the tutelage of Macrinus, a former slave who plots to overthrow the young emperors Caracalla and Geta.
Gladiator 2 is an American historical epic film directed by Ridley Scott. Serving as a sequel to Gladiator (2000), the film was written by David Scarpa, and stars Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger, May Calamawy, Connie Nielsen, and Derek Jacobi, the last two reprising their roles. It will be produced by Scott Free Productions for Paramount Pictures and Universal Pictures.
In January 2024, it was reported that Harry Gregson-Williams was composing the score for the film, taking over from Hans Zimmer and Lisa Gerrard who scored the first film. Zimmer decided not to return because he did not want to repeat his work from the first film. In an interview with Curzon, he said that the film was “in really good hands” with Gregson-Williams, who had started his career as Zimmer’s assistant.
Cast and Characters
Paul Mescal as Lucius Verus: The former heir to the Empire and son of Maximus (the main character in the 2000 film Gladiator). He lives with his wife and child in a coastal town in Numidia, and has had no connection with his mother, Lucilla, for around 15 years. He is taken prisoner by the Roman army after they invade his home and is forced to fight as a gladiator. He was portrayed by Spencer Treat Clark in Gladiator.
Pedro Pascal as Marcus Acacius: A Roman general who trained under Maximus. He leads an army to take over North Africa, but does not wish to send more men to war for the emperors. He fights Lucius in the Colosseum. According to Pascal, he is “a very, very good general, which can mean a very good killer”, and is a symbol to Lucius of everything he hates.
Joseph Quinn as Emperor Geta (based on the historical figure Geta): The co-emperor of Rome alongside his brother, Caracalla. Director Ridley Scott described the pair as “damaged goods from birth” who are “almost a replay of Romulus and Remus”. Careful to not “soil” Joaquin Phoenix’s performance as Commodus from the original film, Quinn said that he took inspiration from Philip Seymour Hoffman’s Owen Davian from Mission: Impossible III (2006) and Gary Oldman’s Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg from The Fifth Element (1997) for playing his character.[7]
Fred Hechinger as Emperor Caracalla (based on the historical figure Caracalla): The co-emperor of Rome alongside his brother, Geta. Scott described the pair as “damaged goods from birth” who are “almost a replay of Romulus and Remus” Careful to not “soil” Joaquin Phoenix’s performance as Commodus from the original film, Hechinger discussed with Scott about finding inspirations to build Caracalla’s look from Sid Vicious.
Connie Nielsen as Lucilla (based on the historical figure Lucilla): Lucius’s mother. She associates with Acacius and watches Lucius fight in the arena, but does not recognize him as her son. After Maximus’s death, Lucilla sent Lucius to Numidia to shield him from the increasing corruption of the Roman society. By the time of the sequel, Lucilla is feared by those in power, such as the emperors, as well as exploited by them. Nielsen reprises her role from the original film.
Denzel Washington as Macrinus: A former slave who plots to control Rome. He keeps a stable of gladiators and mentors Lucius. He also works as an arms dealer, while providing food and oil to the armies in Europe. Scott described him as “pretty fucking cruel” to the arena fighters,[3] with Washington adding that he “wants to be Emperor and he’s willing to do anything to get there”.
Derek Jacobi as Senator Gracchus: A member of the Roman Senate who opposes the growing corruption of the imperial court. Jacobi reprises his role from the original film.
Tim McInnerny as Thraex
Alexander Karim as Ravi
Rory McCann as Tegula
Alec Utgoff as Darius
Gladiator 2 (2024)
Directed by: Ridley Scott
Starring: Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger, Connie Nielsen, Derek Jacobi, May Calamawy, Tim McInnerny, Riana Duce, Alfie Tempest, Hadrian Howard
Screenplay by: David Scarpa
Production Design by: Arthur Max
Cinematography by: John Mathieson
Film Editing by: Claire Simpson, Sam Restivo
Costume Design by: David Crossman, Janty Yates
Set Decoration by: Jille Azis, Desiree Azzopardi, Caroline Curmi, Elli Griff, Magdalene Mizzi, Giusy Nicosia
Art Direction by: Claudio Campana, Anthony Caron-Delion, Alejandro Fernández
Music by: Harry Gregson-Williams
MPAA Rating: None.
Distributed by: Paramount Pictures (United States), Universal Pictures (International)
Release Date: November 22, 2024
