Featured Image Credit: Paramount
Topics: Pedro Pascal, Film and TV
Michael Slavin
The first trailer for Gladiator 2 has dropped, with Irish actor Paul Mescal in the lead role.
24 years on from the original Gladiator, Paul Mescal takes over from Russell Crowe, who will not be returning in the sequel to the iconic Ridley Scott film, (but you probably guessed that).
The sequel takes place 20 years after the ending to Gladiator and sees Mescal play the son of Connie Nielsen’s Lucilla.
Mescal will be joined by Denzel Washington in the cast, a ‘former slave seeking revenge on those who wronged him’.
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The two-time Academy Award winning actor will be joined by not only Mescal, but a host of up-and-coming actors. Take a look:
The trailer looks amazing, and has fully won over fans who were maybe unsure on the sequel.
One fan tweeted to say: "Looks incredible. Was on the fence of them creating a second but I think it’s in great hands after watching the trailer. I am entertained!"
Another was slightly more emphatic with their excitement, tweeting: "GIVE ME THIS ENTIRE MOVIE NOW, INJECT IT IN MY VEINS."
One person, however, who is less enthused about the idea of another Gladiator film is Russell Crowe.
He told Kyle Meredith: "I’m slightly uncomfortable with the fact they’re making another one — because, of course, I’m dead and I have no say in what gets done.
"But a couple of the things I’ve heard I’m like ‘No, no, no, that’s not in the moral journey of that particular character’.
"But I can’t say anything, it’s not my place, I’m six foot under. So we’ll see what that is like."
Despite that, with director Ridley Scott back on board, the trailer makes it seems like even Crowe's worries will be assuaged.
Fantastic 4 co-stars Pedro Pascal and Joseph Quinn will both appear in Gladiator 2 prior to appearing as Marvel’s first family together.
Joining them is Game of Thrones star Rory McCann, as well as Matt Lucas.
Largely due to the recent strikes, the budget for Gladiator 2 is astronomical – with some reports stating it could be as much as $310 million. Though the film is likely to be a smash success if the original is anything to go by.
Earning nearly half a billion worldwide, the Russell Crowe classic also earned 12 Oscar nominations – with five wins including Best Actor and Best Picture.
The trailer debuts the film's tagline, and it'll be familiar to fans of the original.
"What we do in life echoes in eternity," spoken by Crowe's Maximus Decimus Meridius.