Why Gladiator 2 Will Blow You Away

"Gladiator" is a film dripping with cinematic glory. Released at the turn of the century, it sits alongside other classics from its era, like "The Lord of the Rings" and "Spider-Man," as a brilliantly executed, action-packed story that deftly integrated relatively unknown actors, peak practical effects, and burgeoning computer graphics capabilities. Fast forward nearly a quarter of a century, and we're preparing for what will likely be a very different experience with "Gladiator 2."

Once considered a sequel that would never be completed, the long-awaited follow-up has an all-star cast and a built-in audience. "Gladiator 2" has a massive budget that dwarfs its predecessor and can utilize thoroughly bleeding-edge CGI. It has a story that can build on the momentum of past success and, critically, it has the same director at the helm (one of the few consistencies between both projects).

With "Gladiator 2" arriving in such different circumstances from "Gladiator," it naturally begs the question: will it be as good as the first movie? Will all of the money, star power, and modern movie-making capabilities take Ridley Scott's alternate Roman universe to even higher heights? We think so. Here are a few reasons why "Gladiator 2" is set to blow audiences away when it charges into theaters this November.

One of the biggest things "Gladiator 2" has going for it is that Ridley Scott is on board to direct. The 86-year-old Hollywood legend has been at the helm of numerous iconic franchises, including "Alien" and "Blade Runner," as well as historical epics like "Black Hawk Down," "Kingdom of Heaven," and "Napoleon." To have him directing "Gladiator 2" instantly adds a degree of unparalleled credibility to the movie. It ensures that, whatever the overall final product might be, there is an industry veteran overseeing the production who has already left a trail of popular films in his wake. 

Another aspect of Scott's involvement in "Gladiator 2" is that it's his first chance to helm a direct sequel in one of the multiple popular movie franchises he's created over his career. He wasn't able to initially return for the two other notable options, "Alien" and "Blade Runner," even if he did eventually find his way back to making more "Alien" movies. 

In an interview with Vanity Fair, Scott explained that he didn't love missing out on either of those sequels. "I should have done the sequels to 'Alien' and to 'Blade Runner.' You change over the years. At that time, I didn't want to go through it again," he said, adding that his relative lack of leverage in 1980s Hollywood prevented him from returning to those fledging franchises. But now the stars have finally aligned to give him the chance to helm the follow-up to one of his most famous films. 

Good writing is the backbone of an enjoyable cinematic experience. You need someone who can capture a story, create a solid narrative flow, and then move things forward through compelling, believable interactions and dialogue. Scott clearly has taken this part of "Gladiator 2" to heart and has invested copious time in making sure the script is right where he wants it — so much so, in fact, that he scrapped another attempt to make the sequel four years before the current project.

Scott explained this first attempt to Total Film, saying that the first writer (Peter Craig) was very good and a personal friend, but they couldn't get their heads around the right idea for a sequel. "He wrestled," Scott said. "He was terribly upset that he didn't deliver. He's a friend of mine. I said, 'You're not getting there?' He said, 'No.'" After 10 months, they pulled the plug — temporarily.

Eventually, Scott and company gave it another go. This time, they brought on David Scarpa, who has worked on multiple projects with Scott, including "Napoleon" and "The Man in the High Castle." David Franzoni (who helped write "Gladiator") also has a writing credit on the film, as does Craig. A creative team that is willing to spend so much time wrestling with the script is a sign that we can expect a stellar final product when this thing finally reaches the public.

"Gladiator" has a compelling story, great acting, and plenty of top-notch action sequences. The movie has epic battles, thrilling duels, corrupt and perverted characters, and lots and lots of killing. It was Russell Crowe's big break as he donned the persona of Maximus Decimus Meridius (a kind of real, but ultimately made-up character), while Joaquin Phoenix also found his way into the limelight through his depiction of the infamous Emperor Commodus.

The movie received critical acclaim, along with 12 Oscar nominations and five total wins (including Best Picture), while maintaining a robust 87% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes decades after its release. It also killed it at the box office with a $465 million worldwide take. This movie is a milestone in Hollywood history, and it remains a must-watch experience to this day.

What does all of this mean for "Gladiator 2"? The fan base for "Gladiator" is still alive and well. There are potentially millions of fans out there who are ready to take another trip to Ridley Scott's aberrant depiction of Roman history and see what's next in the story. Whether they love what they see or not depends on a host of factors, but there's no doubt that the new film will be riding that impressively long-lived "Gladiator" wave when it arrives.

"Gladiator" is famous for thrusting multiple A-list actors into the spotlight. Yes, there were a few individuals in the production, like Richard Harris, who had already etched their names in the stars. But overall, the movie was a dazzling display of up-and-coming talent, headlined by Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, and Djimon Hounsou (Juba), all three of whom have gone on to have major acting careers.

"Gladiator 2" is riding on the success of the first film, which immediately makes it a bigger talent magnet. The film is filled with major actors who have well-established careers, including Pedro Pascal of "The Mandalorian" and "The Last of Us" fame, Joseph Quinn from "Stranger Things" and "A Quiet Place: Day One," and the legendary Denzel Washington.

At the center of it all is Paul Mescal as Lucius, the movie's protagonist, who was a child in the first film. Mescal is not widely known to mainstream audiences yet, with his highest-profile roles coming in independent films like "All of Us Strangers," "Aftersun," and "The Lost Daughter." But if "Gladiator 2" is a hit, Mescal will almost certainly break through to the top echelons of movie stars just as Crowe and Phoenix did with the first film.

"Gladiator" ends with the death of Commodus and the apparent restoration of the Roman Republic. By the time we pick up the story decades later in "Gladiator 2," Rome is once again ruled, not by one but two emperors. (Something clearly went terribly wrong in the wake of Maximus' death.) This new royal blood takes the form of Caracalla and Geta — two characters that are much more important than audiences might realize. Played by Fred Hechinger and Joseph Quinn, respectively, these imperial leaders are some of the most infamous emperors in Roman history. They are remembered as decadent, spoiled brats with no filters or inhibitions.

In the historical narrative, they come to power early as co-rulers. Within a year of the death of their father, Emperor Septimius Severus, Caracalla strangles his brother right in the arms of their mother, Julia Domna. Caracalla rules solo for a while, until he's assassinated by a rogue officer while tending to nature's call on the side of the road. The leader of the coup is a fellow named Macrinus — which happens to be the name of Denzel Washington's character.

The historical aspect of the Geta and Caracalla reign is dramatic enough, but if you toss them into a story that, based on "Gladiator," will loosely follow the historical narrative at best, chances are these siblings will have everyone emphatically rooting against them as they stoop to the lowest levels of horror and depravity.

Anyone can draw a political parallel with any movie if they try. Nevertheless, certain stories lend themselves to the practice more than others, and "Gladiator 2" is definitely one of them. Ridley Scott has drawn direct attention to the connections between the cut-throat world of ancient Roman culture and politics and the seismic upheavals of the 21st century. "The leadership is in total chaos," he told Vanity Fair in reference to the movie's civic atmosphere. "We have demagogues — that's a good word. The people who are in charge are out of their minds, and everyone is too afraid to contradict. That's familiar ground right now."

In the same interview, Paul Mescal also spoke to the political struggle in the film and the will not just to survive but to win — both in and out of the arena. He said, "Where's the space for humanity? Where's the space for love, familial connection? And ultimately, will those things overcome this kind of greed and power? Those things are oftentimes directly in conflict with each other."

The fight between power and the people, politics and humanity — these are themes that are likely to resonate with audiences as they head to theaters this November, within a few weeks of one of the most hotly contested elections in modern history.

"Gladiator" is a big story. It starts in Germania, on the northeastern borders of the Roman Empire. We see Hispania (modern Spain and Portugal) for a few minutes, as Maximus makes a mad dash for his raided home, before the narrative moves even further south to Zucchabar in North Africa. Once the gladiatorial escapades get going, the story quickly moves to Rome, where it stays for the rest of the story. This is plenty of world-building already, but it also leaves the doors wide open for the sequel to expand, especially when you're talking about something as big as the Roman Empire.

At its height, that empire and its client states stretched north to south from modern Britain to the Sudan and east to west from Morocco to Azerbaijan. It was absolutely massive and contained countless different cultures, most of which didn't make it into the first movie.

Based on promotional footage and interviews, we already know that we're going to return to North Africa and the province of Numidia. Historically, the story of Emperor Caracalla and Macrinus also journeys to the eastern limits of the empire, where they tangle with the famous Roman boogeymen called the Parthians (an empire roughly situated near modern Iran.) Suffice it to say, there's a lot more of this massive Roman world to explore, and it could make the "Gladiator" sequel feel 10 times bigger than its predecessor.

The historical parallels of "Gladiator 2" have exciting potential, but there's another aspect to Ridley Scott's period piece that will likely amplify the enjoyment: the fictional elements. "Gladiator" is rife with incidents and characters that bend the truth, but this isn't a criticism. Most of the historical inaccuracies in "Gladiator" make the movie better. Commodus dispatching his father with a hug, for instance, instantly positions him as pure villain. His own death in the arena is more epic than his historical fate (he was strangled while taking a bath). Heck, inventing Maximus and restoring the Roman Republic are both major historical rewrites critical to the movie's appeal.

We could see similarly interesting historical fiction in "Gladiator 2." For example, Senator Gracchus (Derek Jacobi) was invented for the first film and clearly inspired by a number of famous Roman senators. Jacobi is one of the few familiar faces returning for the sequel, and his position of power, especially after Maximus instructs him to restore the Roman Republic, could significantly impact the storyline.

Macrinus is another interesting one. Denzel Washington's character appears to be named after the first equestrian (basically, a member of the upper middle class) to become Emperor. Historically, that makes Macrinus an overachieving lawyer. In the "Gladiator 2" trailer, Macrinus says, "I was owned. Now I will control an empire." If the line implies that he was a slave, that would be a rewrite clearly targeting a more dramatic and compelling rise to power.

Both Lucius and his mother Lucilla (Connie Nielsen) are very loosely based on historical characters. Lucilla was Commodus' sister, but in the real story, she is killed by her brother when he discovers her plotting against his life. One of her children is also named Lucius, but he doesn't appear to have lived past youth (the historical records say virtually nothing about him). That means that when "Gladiator 2" begins decades after Commodus' death, both characters will be firmly in historical fiction territory. The question is, where will their stories go next?

As far as Nielsen's character is concerned, the historical Lucilla remarried a Roman general. This could be the inspiration for Pedro Pascal's General Acacius, who functions partly as a love interest for Nielsen's character. What her role is in a Roman world that has moved past the reigns of her father and brother, though, remains to be seen.

When it comes to Paul Mescal's Lucius, that's where Scott is likely to have some real fun. Lucius is already historically altered in the sense that he is Lucilla's only son. The historical Lucius is also supposed to have died in childhood. This frees up Mescal's version of the character to be whatever Scott needs him to be, positioning him to carry on the mantle of the heroic but made-up Maximus without any historical restrictions.

Who isn't entertained by the spectacle of exotic beasts and exciting water battles? The Romans sure loved them, and modern audiences are likely to get the closest thing to a front-row seat at the Colosseum when "Gladiator 2" arrives. The fauna factor is likely to be a particularly strong draw with the sequel, and it's clear that Scott is turning things up a notch from the already impressive animals of the original film.

In the first trailer, we're shown two key animal sequences. First, a soldier falls off a boat during a water battle in a flooded arena and is attacked by a shark. The second is a longer shot of a gladiator entering the arena riding a rhino equipped for war. The best part is that this isn't even a historical exaggeration or anomaly. The Romans actually fought rhinos and sharks in real life.

They also hunted animals in events called venatio. The four-legged victims of these morbid entertainments included elephants, crocodiles, tigers, leopards, lions, and hippopotamuses, just to name a few. During the Severan period (when "Gladiator 2" is set), the varieties of exotic animals ramped up, including hyenas, zebras, and even two-horned rhinoceroses. While it may be disturbing to watch, there's no doubt that the ageless human obsession with the pain and suffering of animals and individuals alike will add to the intensity of the "Gladiator 2" experience.

One of the biggest factors that blew away audiences about "Gladiator" in 2000 was the incredible action sequences. In that movie, we're introduced to Roman warfare right off the bat and at scale. From there, the violence shifts from a quantitative to a qualitative focus as Maximus takes on different opponents in arenas across the Roman Empire.

The sequel looks poised to carry on this fascination with the Romans' gruesome amusements and disturbing pastimes. In the first trailer alone, we see images of wild beasts, flooded arenas, and full-scale ship battles. There are also glimpses of massive Roman armies in motion. If these quick shots are any indication, we could be getting military action on a scale that dwarfs the opening sequence of the original movie.

Then there are the one-on-one duels. It's already been revealed that we're going to see Mescal and Pascal's characters cross swords. We're also going to see them engage with a variety of other warriors in the Colosseum. These are the set-piece sequences that bring viewers to the edge of their seats and drive home the "Gladiator" experience. The question is, will audiences find themselves entertained in the same manner as they were with Maximus' arena antics? We're willing to bet that the answer is yes.