First look pictures of Gladiator 2 show a new generation of fighters in Rome, with Pedro Pascal and Paul Mescal engaged in a duel.
Here are the first glimpses of the eagerly awaited Gladiator sequel! Fans of Gladiator 2, which stars Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Denzel Washington, Fred Hechinger, and Joseph Quinn, can’t get enough of the new cast photos that Vanity Fair released on Monday night. (Read also: Regarding the ‘Gladiator’ sequel, Russell Crowe The fact that they’re producing another one makes me a little uneasy.
Gladiator 2 first look
In the follow-up, Oscar candidate Paul Mescal portrays Maximus’s (Russell Crowe) son Lucius, who engages in a power struggle with Pedro Pascal’s General Acacius. Regarding his persona, Paul told Vanity Fair, “In that regard, it’s a very ‘angry young man’ drama.”
He sees how Rome has become somewhat self-inverted. Rome stands in for all the personal abandonment he experienced as a young child. All of a sudden, he finds himself back in that environment, right next to everything he believes he despises and no longer has a connection to.
Denzel Washington as Macrinus
Even while fans greeted the first pictures of Gladiator 2 with great enthusiasm, it was Denzel Washington’s character that captured the most attention. According to the source, Denzel plays the role of Macrinus. Director Ridley Scott describes Denzel as an armaments trader who manufactures steel, distributes wine and oil, food, ammunition, cannons, and catapults for the armies in Europe. He is therefore an extremely rich man. He possesses a stable of gladiators rather than racehorses.
Mixed reactions
One admirer said, “I might be more excited to see Denzel in this than anyone else and the cast is very good,” in response to Denzel’s initial image. The best to ever do it, as one admirer put it in a comment. Another admirer said, “Some of you are going to see this for Mescal but many of us are going to see this for Denzel.”
But there were also a lot of conflicting opinions about Denzel’s casting in an ancient Rome-themed film. “Roman Imperator in Black? Ahshhahahahhah Fantastic work, woke historians,” one comment said. “What in the woke is that casting?” exclaimed another. Would you kindly refrain from include any period films in this? “Lol this comment section ain’t it: first, no Denzel isn’t even playing an emperor here, he’s playing a wealthy merchant, and secondly, for gods sake THERE WAS A BLACK EMPEROR: Septimus Severus,” said one commenter, defending Denzel’s casting. Google is open to the public.
When it was first released in 2000, Gladiator was a major commercial and critical triumph, and Russell Crowe won Best Actor and Best Picture at the Academy Awards. On November 22, Gladiator 2 will be released in theaters.
