A bloody, sweaty Paul Mescal goes to war to save Rome in the new trailer for Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator 2.”
The sequel stars Mescal as Lucius, the son of Lucilla (Connie Nielsen) and nephew of Commodus, the original film’s antagonist played by Joaquin Phoenix. Set years after 2000’s “Gladiator” (also directed by Scott), the sequel sees Lucius living as a young adult in the northern African region of Numidia, where his mother sent him as a child. Events bring Lucius back to Rome as a gladiator, making new enemies and reuniting with his mother.
The new trailer reveals that Lucius is the son of Maximus Decimus Meridius, the protagonist of the first “Gladiator” film played by Russell Crowe. Lucilla tells Lucius the truth about his paternity as he prepares for battle, saying: “Take your father’s strength. His name was Maximus. And I see him in you.”
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Mescal said he was shocked when he learned about his character’s parentage. “I was like, ‘Holy shit,’” he said, adding that “it’s an affronting thing to see it written on the page, and [to have] that responsibility fall on your shoulders is interesting.”
The “Gladiator 2” supporting cast features Pedro Pascal as Marcus Acacius, a Roman general who trained under the command of Maximus; Denzel Washington as Macrinus, a wealthy powerbroker in Rome who keeps a stable of gladiators for sport; and Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger as the twin emperors of Rome.
Scott recently said that the film will feature the “biggest action sequence” that the director has ever produced, saying it was bigger than anything seen in the Phoenix-starring “Napoleon.” The acclaimed director has already delivered some of cinema’s most jaw-dropping set pieces, helming films like 1979’s “Alien,” 1982’s “Blade Runner,” “Kingdome of Heaven” and 2015’s “The Martian.”
Scott became a fan of Mescal’s after watching the actor’s breakthrough performance in “Normal People.” The two men only spoke for about a half hour when Scott decided that Mescal was his “Gladiator 2” lead. The actor bulked up so much for the film that Pascal even said it was quite challenging having to face off against him in the arena.
Pascal even gave Mescal a nickname on set: “Brick Wall Paul.” “He got so strong. I would rather be thrown from a building than have to fight him again,” Pascal said. “To go up against somebody that fit and that talented and that much younger, it’s brutal, man.”
The long-anticipated sequel will release on Nov. 22.
Watch the trailer below.