Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator II” Unsheathes Ferocious New Trailer
A bloody, bold new trailer for Gladiator II, Ridley Scott’s long-awaited followup to his Best Picture Winner, has arrived. The new look is the longest, bloodiest, most thrilling yet. We’re introduced to the art of choosing gladiators, as explained by Denzel Washington’s Macrinus, who is usually sorting through prisoners of war and who sees something special in Paul Mescal’s Lucius, a young man with the requisite rage to survive the Coliseum, and all the lesser, no less lethal venues leading up to it.
The new trailer gives us a look into the brutal life of Lucius, who lived in Numidia in Northern Africa before finding himself back in Rome, now owned by Macrinus, who might not be able to offer freedom but can offer something potentially more valuable to someone like Lucius—the head of the man who wronged him.
“A general will do,” Lucius says. “Rome has taken everything from me, but I will have my vengeance.”
It’s not just ferocious men that Lucius will have to conquer in his brutal gladiator bouts—it’s the animal kingdom, too, including blood-smeared monkeys, rhinos, and sharks. Yes, sharks.
The new look reveals that Macrinus wants more than just to make money off the lives of his gladiators; he’s got designs on the throne and wants Lucius to be his instrument to see those designs through. We also know that Lucius is indeed the son of Russell Crowe’s Maximus from the original Gladiator, so he’s got the genetic disposition to carry out his own designs.
Joining Mescal and Washington is a stellar cast, including Connie Nielsen as Lucilla, reprising her role from the original, Joseph Quinn as Emperor Geta, Pedro Pascal as the former general Marcus Acacius, and Rory McCann as Tegula.
Check out the trailer below. Gladiator II arrives in theaters on November 22.
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Featured image: Paul Mescal plays Lucius and Pedro Pascal plays Marcus Acacius in Gladiator II from Paramount Pictures.
