For over 20 years, people have been yearning for a return to the setting of Gladiator. Showcasing brutal, imperious Rome at its peak, the original film from Ridley Scott hit all the right notes and collected a haul of accolades and millions at the worldwide box office. Somewhat surprisingly, the sequel will arrive in 2024, landing on 22 November as it stands.
Doing a sequel this far removed from the original is often ill-advised – as the quality of so many recent long-delayed sequels, remakes, or reboots can attest – but there are plenty of good signs coming from the production that suggest Gladiator 2 may buck this modern trend. Connie Nielsen, who played Lucilla in the original, returns for the sequel and has stated in interviews that the movie is a “magnificent spectacle.”
Gladiator 2 creates a new story after the death of Maximus
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At the end of the 2000 epic historical drama, the main protagonist and antagonist famously die. General Maximus Decimus Meridius falls after defeating his foe, Emperor Commodus, in battle due to the wound inflicted by the Emperor prior to the rumble in the Colosseum. So, while the film was strong enough to earn a sequel, the story perhaps doesn’t warrant one.
Instead of the long-rumoured story that sees Maximus (played by Russell Crowe) sent back by the Roman gods, Gladiator 2 will pick up 15 years later and follow Lucius, the son of Lucilla from the first film. While little more is known about the story, as is invariably the case with Ridley Scott films, the cast is stacked.
Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, Connie Nielsen, Paul Mescal, Derek Jacobi, and Barry Keoghan are all confirmed as being in the movie. While the original was tremendously scored by Hans Zimmer and Lisa Gerrard, Scott will be turning to the trusted hands of Harry Gregson-Williams (Kingdom of Heaven, The Last Duel) for this one. There’s a lot of talent across the production, but Gladiator 2 has a lot to live up to.
Matching an enduring legacy
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Gladiator is a pop culture icon that has endured to this day. Sure, the persistent slow motion in the opening battles doesn’t stick well these days, but the story, performances, sets, and costumes all hold up incredibly well. Its influence can be seen in other films like The King, 300, and Troy, as well as in other entertainment products.
The movie provided audiences with the archetypal image of the gladiator. Unsurprisingly, when you bet on casino games with a gladiator-inspired premise, you’ll see that many of the characters, backdrops and even features have taken inspiration from this iconic blockbuster. This is most evident in Gladiator Toro and Gladiator Legends. Both utilise the theme for features very differently, but there are clearly callbacks to Scott’s masterpiece.
On top of this, it made over $460 million at the box office in 2000 and received Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Costume Design, Best Sound, and Best Visual Effects. Perhaps the one potential red flag is Scott’s most recent epic historical drama: Napoleon. While the sets, costumes, and general mood of battles can’t be knocked, it was essentially a flicker-pad of embellished history, lacking anything by way of character in the story.
Gladiator 2 has some huge sandals to fill, but there’s a chance that it can recapture some of the magic of the original flick from what will be 24 years ago.
