Words Adam Matulewicz

It’s been twenty-four years since we were thoroughly entertained by the best gladiator Rome has ever seen in unforgettable cinema events that still echo through eternity.

After witnessing the death of Russell Crowe’s heroic Maximus by the hands of Joaquin Phoenix’s cruel Commodus, young Lucius Verus distances himself from his mother Lucilla and the Empire to which he’s heir.

Years later, he’s married and with a son in the quiet coastal town of Numidia. His peace his interrupted when a Roman army, led by General Marcus Acacius, invades his home and takes him prisoner. Now in the Colosseum, he must fight for his life, confront his past, and rise up as a hero to return the glory of Rome to its people.

Paul Mescal stars as Lucius, another slaved-turned-Gladiator in Scott’s new chapter in this epic saga. He’s joined by an all-star cast, including Pedro Pascal as the relentless Marcus Acacius, Denzel Washington as the rebellious Macrinus, and Connie Neilsen reprising her role as Lucilla, with Stranger Things’ Joseph Quinn and The White Lotus’ Fred Hechinger as the tyrannical twin Emperors, Geta and Caracalla.

Swords will clash and shields will splinter, but bigger action set pieces, fiercer animal encounters, and even great naval battles await in the long-awaited follow-up to the multi-award-winning epic and must-see event of the winter.

Are You Not Entertained?

Ridley Scott is famed for his epic action and he’s pulled out all the stops to make Gladiator II bigger and better than its predecessor. Back in 2000, Scott convinced cinemagoers that Crowe fought a tiger by bringing real ones to set. A prop tiger with limited animatronics was used in actual fact, but thanks to today’s technology, he’s able to one up himself in the sequel where a combination of practical and cutting-edge digital effects can pit Mescal against a fearsome rhinoceros! Duels are Scott’s forte, with many famous face offs to his name. Deckard vs Batty in Blade Runner. Damon vs Driver in The Last Duel. Now, the stage is set for the epic clash of Mescal vs Pascal.