2000 was a terrific year for movies! The first X-Men came out, as did Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and one of the best movies of its decade, Ridley Scott’s Gladiator. Well now, 24 years later, we’re seeing the saga continue with Gladiator II!
I know many are meeting this with skepticism. A perfect movie like Gladiator doesn’t necessarily deserve a sequel. But alongside the epic return of director Ridley Scott — and the casting of Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, and Denzel Washington — there’s more than a good chance this will prove to be a worthy follow up to the original!
Take a look at some preview images Paramount released for the film today, in anticipation of the trailer’s debut tomorrow:
Paul Mescal plays Lucius in Gladiator II from Paramount Pictures. 
Connie Nielsen plays Lucilla in Gladiator II from Paramount Pictures. 
Paul Mescal plays Lucius in Gladiator II from Paramount Pictures. 
Paul Mescal plays Lucius and Pedro Pascal plays Marcus Acacius in Gladiator II from Paramount Pictures. 
Fred Hechinger plays Emperor Caracalla in Gladiator II from Paramount Pictures. 
Paul Mescal plays Lucius in Gladiator II from Paramount Pictures. 
Paul Mescal plays Lucius in Gladiator II from Paramount Pictures. 
Joseph Quinn plays Emperor Geta in Gladiator II from Paramount Pictures. 
Paul Mescal plays Lucius and Alexander Karim plays Ravi in Gladiator II from Paramount Pictures. 
Paul Mescal plays Lucius in Gladiator II from Paramount Pictures. 
Denzel Washington plays Macrinus in Gladiator II from Paramount Pictures. 
Pedro Pascal plays Marcus Acacius in Gladiator II from Paramount Pictures.
The movie takes place years after the events of the first film, and centers on Lucius, the son of returning star, Connie Nielsen’s Lucilla. You may remember Lucius being portrayed by Spencer Treat Clark in the first film, from his memorable encounters with Maximus (Russell Crowe). However, now, played by Mescal, he finds himself at the center of the arena, preparing for battle with rival gladiators, such as Pascal’s Marcus Acacius.
Paramount has also released a new poster for the film which you can check out here:
Gladiator II will be hitting theaters on November 22. Keep an eye out tomorrow for the upcoming trailer for the movie!
