Gladiator Sequel Starring Paul Mescal Set For A 2024 Release
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Paramount Pictures announced the Gladiator 2 release date. The Ridley Scott sequel starring Aftersun star Paul Mescal in the lead role is slated for a 2024 release.
Released in 2000, Gladiator starred Russell Crowe as Maximus Decimus Meridius, a high-ranking Roman military officer whom Emperor Marcus Aurelius named as his successor instead of his son, Commodus. When Commodus murders his father to seize power, Maximus refuses to swear loyalty to the self-proclaimed Emperor. Maximus is sentenced to death but manages to kill his would-be-executors, only to return home to find his wife and son murdered. Later sold into slavery, Maximus embarks on a quest for revenge, leading to a coliseum battle against Commodus. Maximus defeats and kills Commodus, but he is mortally wounded.
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Per Deadline, Paramount Pictures has scheduled Gladiator 2 for a November 22, 2024 release. Mescal is poised to star in Gladiator 2 as Lucius, the now-grown son of Lucilla and nephew of Commodus. Spencer Treat Clark played the character in the original film. David Scarpa penned the Gladiator 2 script, with Scott, Michael Pruss, Doug Wick, and Lucy Fisher serving as producers. Though Crowe is not involved in Gladiator 2, he previously said the story revolves around Lucius as the Emperor of Rome.
Gladiator 2 has been in some stage of development since the first film was released. At one point, the sequel included the resurrection of Maximus, with Crowe and the filmmaking team looking to ancient Roman beliefs in the afterlife for inspiration. Lucius was also revealed as the secret son of Maximus and Lucilla, with the sequel depicting the events regarding Lucius' true lineage. However, it is unknown if this relationship between Lucius and the late Maximus remains in Scarpa's screenplay.
Gladiator was a financial and critical success, grossing $503.2 million and winning Oscars for Best Picture and Crowe's performance. However, whether there is an interest in a sequel, especially one without Crowe and Phoenix, remains to be seen.
Still, Avatar 2 grossed over $2 billion worldwide, despite some people believing the time for a sequel had long passed because the original was released over a decade ago. So, perhaps Gladiator 2 will prove any naysayers wrong. At the very least, having Academy Award nominee Mescal on board is a positive sign.
Gladiator 2 is scheduled to be released in theaters on November 22, 2024.
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Source: Deadline
