There is plenty to be excited about when it comes to Gladiator 2. Director Ridley Scott is returning to direct the highly anticipated sequel, and it features an all-star cast that includes Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, and Denzel Washington. The hype is already real, especially after the first Gladiator 2 trailer dropped which teased epic battle sequences and incredible costuming reminiscent of the Oscar winning original film. Now, Ridley Scott is giving fans even more to anticipate when it comes to his latest film, and I can’t wait.
In a recent interview with Empire, Scott opened up about directing the sequel film over 20 years after the release of Gladiator, and what he hoped to accomplish with the follow-up feature. He kept a lot of details about the film pretty close to the chest, but did tease an action sequence that he believes supersedes anything he’s ever done before. The filmmaker said:
We begin the film with probably the biggest action sequence I’ve ever done. Probably bigger than anything in Napoleon.
While he didn’t disclose any information about what this scene actually entails, what we do know about Gladiator 2 is that the film will be a return to the Colosseum, featuring battles that showcase Mescal and Pascal in fights to the death with animals galore. The movie takes place two decades after the events of the first Gladiator, and features a slave thrust into the arena after being inspired by Maximus’s legend. The scale already looks immense and early footage of Mescal battling a rhinoceros ignited lots of chatter online. Opening with a large scale action sequence is a big move, and an exciting way to get audiences on board immediately.
Scott claiming that the opening of Gladiator 2 is the biggest action sequence he's ever directed is a pretty strong statement. The action sequences in Gladiator are some of the most grandiose, coordinated scenes committed to camera, and the Battle of Austerlitz scene in Napoleon is also undeniably an incredible cinematic achievement. Even sequences in Blade Runner, Kingdom of Heaven, and Robin Hood are strong competitors for most epic Ridley Scott sequences. However if the filmmaker himself thinks Gladiator 2 takes the cake, I’ll take his word for it. This alone might be enough to get cinephiles amped for the upcoming 2024 film.
We have yet to see the film, but according to Scott, it’s the technological advancements that allow this new Gladiator to be more epic than the last. Significant advancements in AI and CGI make it easier and more realistic for the director to introduce more chaos and conflict into the Colosseum. The rhino sequence in particular wouldn’t have been possible with the technology available in the late '90s, and Scott admitted to having a lot of fun with the modern day capabilities. It’ll be so exciting to see how this plays into this epic opening scene Scott teases, and makes Gladiator 2 even grander than its predecessor.
Footage from the opening has yet to be released, but you will be able to check out Ridley Scott’s Gladiator 2 in its entirety on November 22th, when the film hits theaters. Fans can also revisit the original Gladiator starring Russell Crowe now with a Peacock subscription.
