The roar of the arena awaits in Sir Ridley Scott’s ‘Gladiator II’
You will be entertained.
Sir Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II is a cinematic event 2,000 years in the making as he once again returns to resurrect the Colosseum and the savagery of Ancient Rome in the hotly anticipated sequel to his Oscar-winning masterwork Gladiator, and a new hero in Paul Mescal is set to rise in this epic cinema event.
Now thanks to Vanity Fair, we have our first look at Gladiator II ahead of the trailer release on July 9, and the imagery promises a lavish and large production of revenge and redemption that sees Paul Mescal’s now-grown Lucius Verus falling back into the hands of the Roman Empire, which is now under the despotic rule of co-Emperors Geta (Joseph Quinn) and Caracalla (Fred Hechinger), and must fight for survival and to ignite burning revolution.
The imagery showcases Sir Ridley Scott’s incredible world-building and promises an event of Herculian size as Mescal’s Lucius takes on the might of the Republic. Mescal looks utterly jacked in the role, and his physical transformation was driven more by his need to function athletically rather than for mere aesthetic reasons. “I just wanted to be big and strong and look like somebody who can cause a bit of damage when shit hits the fan,” he says. “I think also, sometimes, one could, in striving for that perfect look, end up looking more like an underwear model than a warrior.”
While audiences can expect a heap of blood and violence, Scott and Mescal were more interested in looking into the psychology of these inhuman acts on their characters and analysing the politics of dominance and the will to win, both in the arena and in the palace.
“What human beings will do to survive, but also what human beings will do to win. We see that in the arena, but also in the political struggle that’s going on outside of my character’s storyline, where you see there are other characters striving and pulling for power. Where’s the space for humanity? Where’s the space for love and familial connection? And ultimately, will those things overcome this kind of greed and power? Those things are oftentimes directly in conflict with each other.”
Gladiator II also sports an incredible level of talent in its ranks, and headlining the film alongside Mescal is two-time Academy Award winner Denzel Washington as Macrinus, a former gladiator and now freedman who has become a successful merchant and broker who has built up a massive fortune trading in raw materials such as food, steel and slaves, and who holds a personal grudge against the emperors; Pedro Pascal stars as Marcus Acacius, a Roman general said to have trained as a junior officer under Maximus (Russell Crowe), and who is sent to the arena for questioning the authority of the emperors; while Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger as co-emperors Geta and Caracalla, who have been described by Ridley Scott as being ‘damaged goods from birth’, and their corruption and sinister tastes are bringing the once great Roman Empire to its knees.
Connie Neilson returns to the picture as Lucilla, the lover of Maximus, sister to Commodus, and mother to Lucius. Neilsomn’s Lucilla has not seen her son in many years, having sent him away to safeguard him from threats within Rome, and their reunion will be rather savage in the new film. Neilson’s Lucilla also has to contend with the threat of Geta and Caracalla, and there are plenty of snakes and dangers present in Rome for her to contend with.
Gladiator II is shaping up to be an incredible cinematic event. With the press coverage of its first showing at CinemaCon and now with these new-look images, we’re ready to be entertained. Sir Ridley Scott is bringing everything of himself as an artist and filmmaker to this epic project, and the scale and action of this picture will leave you entertained.
Gladiator II will arrive in theatres on November 14.
Images: Paramount Pictures
Source: Vanity Fair
