For some of us, the fact that we are getting a Gladiator sequel feels surreal, but here we are with a release date.
News has broken today that Ridley Scott’s upcoming sequel to the 2000 classic Gladiator will be heading to cinemas in 2024, November 22nd, to be exact. This release date is a competitive spot as it will be sandwiched between Deadpool 3 and Avatar 3, two hotly-anticipated sequels from Disney.
Ridley Scott will helm the film, working from a script written by David Scarpa and producing alongside Michael Pruss, Doug Wick, and Lucy Fisher.
Gladiator 2 will see Paul Mescal step into the lead role, reportedly playing Lucius. Original actor Russell Crowe confirmed that the story would center around Lucius becoming emperor but claims he will not be involved in the project. In the original Gladiator, Lucius was the young son of Lucilla, Maximus’s former lover. He is named after his father, Lucius Verus, who was co-emperor until 169 AD.
Mescal is best known for his role in the miniseries Normal People and his 2022 role in Aftersun. The latter has led him to an Oscar nomination for Best Actor at the upcoming 95th Academy Awards. He’s filming Richard Linklater’s 20-year adaptation of Merrily We Roll Along with Ben Platt and Beanie Feldstein.
