Gladiator 2: everything we know so far including cast, trailer, story and release date

Ready those swords while you gather your strength and honour because Gladiator 2 is charging its way toward the big screen. Some 24 years after the release of the masterful Gladiator (2000), we'll be catapulted back into the heyday of the Roman Empire in all its barbaric and grandiose glory.

Expect a big-screen spectacle to feast on from the design to the costumes and the glittering, A-list cast. Scroll down to discover everything you need to know.

What is the story of Gladiator 2?

Unknown at this stage but Vanity Fair's profile piece fills in a few blanks. It's revealed that Lucius, having witnessed the death of slave-turned-gladiator Maximus Decimus Meridius (Russell Crowe) in the arena, has been sent away to Numidia in Africa, beyond the reach of the Roman Empire. Enjoying a quiet existence with his wife and child, Lucius' tranquility is shattered when Roman conquerors arrive at his doorstep.

Lucius is then imprisoned and enslaved, brought back to the Roman cradle of civilisation where he once found himself feted as the Emperor's nephew. The stage is set for another brutal and bloody tale of retribution and redemption.

Is Paul Mescal playing the grown-up Lucius from Gladiator?

Yes, Normal People star Paul Mescal is playing the older Lucius (Spencer Treat Clark played the character as a child in the first film). Lucius is the son of Connie Nielsen's noblewoman Lucilla and the nephew of the deceased, sadistic Roman Emperor Commodus, who was played by Joaquin Phoenix in Gladiator. Commodus was killed in hand-to-hand combat by Maximus who sought revenge for the death of his wife and son.

Mescal has enjoyed meteoric success in the last few years following his breakout role in Normal People and his acclaimed turns in British dramas Aftersun (2022) and All Of Us Strangers (2024). As far as Scott was concerned, Mescal was the perfect fit for the role.

Mescal says that, fundamentally, Gladiator 2 is about "What human beings will do to survive, but also what human beings will do to win." He adds: "We see that in the arena, but also in the political struggle that’s going on outside of my character’s storyline, where you see there’s other characters striving and pulling for power. Where’s the space for humanity? Where’s the space for love, familial connection? And ultimately, will those things overcome this kind of greed and power? Those things are oftentimes directly in conflict with each other.”

Is Ridley Scott directing Gladiator 2?

Yes, Ridley Scott is back behind the camera for Gladiator 2. His acclaimed work on Gladiator is credited with reviving the moribund swords and sandals epic, and the film won five Oscars including Best Picture. Scott's affinity with historical epics stretches back to his Napoleonic Wars drama The Duellists (1977), his feature film debut, and also encompasses the likes of Kingdom of Heaven (2005), Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014) and Napoleon (2023).

“When I watch anything, I tend to be clocking who’s interesting,” Ridley Scott says of Mescal's casting. “It’s just in my DNA. And so, watching a TV show that’s not really my kind of TV show almost four years ago, I said, ‘Who’s this guy?’ “I met with him and he said, ‘Of course, I’d love to do it.’ And that was it. We were away and running with the ball. He was a special find. He was absolutely perfect.”

Who are the other cast members in Gladiator 2?

Pedro Pascal (Game of Thrones; The Last of Us; Marvel's upcoming The Fantastic Four) plays Roman general Marcus Acacius who is responsible for Lucius' enslavement. Rumour has it that Acacius trained under Maximus when he was a junior officer. The recently released Vanity Fair pics (scroll down to see them) make it clear that Lucius and Acacius engage in hand-to-hand combat in the Colosseum although the exact circumstances leading to that point are unknown.

"When you’re a POW in Rome, if you are damaged, you are killed," Scott explains. If you are fit, you’ll get put into some kind of service, as in slavery, or you would go into the arena to die. The wrinkle is, when [Lucius] gets to Rome as a prisoner and has a first round in the arena, he sees his mother—to his shock. He doesn’t know whether she’s alive or not. How would he know? You don’t have telephones. There’s no press. And there’s his mother in the royal box looking pretty good after 20 years. And she’s with the general who he came face-to-face with on the wall in Numidia.”

Oscar-winner and Equalizer star Denzel Washington (who starred in Scott's period thriller American Gangster) plays ex-gladiator-turned-wealthy-slave-merchant Macrinus.

Joseph Quinn (A Quiet Place: Day One) and Fred Hechinger (The White Lotus) play sibling Emperors Caracalla and Geta whose turbulent power-sharing arrangement portends drastic things for the people of Rome. The two brothers existed in real life and the effectiveness of their legacy continues to divide scholars.

Connie Nielsen reprises her role as Lucius' mother Lucilla (based on the real-life daughter of Emperor Marcus Aurelius( and veteran stage actor Derek Jacobi reprises his role as the high-ranking senator Gracchus.

Is Russell Crowe in Gladiator 2?

Well, it would be a bit challenging given that his character Maximus died at the end of the first film. In flashback, maybe? Not a chance – the forthright Crowe has actively shot down questions surrounding a possible appearance in the sequel, stating in The Guardian: “A couple of things that I’ve heard, I’m like, ‘No, no, no. That’s not in the moral journey of that particular character.’ But you know, I can’t say anything. That’s not my place. I’m six feet under. So we’ll see what that is like."

Is Hans Zimmer scoring Gladiator 2?

No, Hans Zimmer, who was Oscar-nominated for his sweeping work on Gladiator, is giving way to his former protege Harry Gregson-Williams, now an established composer in his own right. Gregson-Williams has enjoyed a fruitful partnership wit Ridley Scott that has encompassed the likes of Kingdom of Heaven and The Last Duel (2021).

Zimmer told Curzon that the score is in "very good hands" with Gregson-Williams at the helm.