Gladiator 2 will feature some of the ‘biggest action sequences ever put on film’
Execs have teased the extended footage, vowing it's “well worth the wait”
Gladiator 2 was always going to be an epic - at least, if Paramount has anything to say about it.
An epic blockbuster for the ages, the hotly anticipated sequel starring a bulked-up Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal and Denzel Washington is undoubtedly poised to be the release of the year.
Now, an extended cut of the much hyped sequel debuted at the 2024 CineEurope trade show in Barcelona on Wednesday, promising more action than most fans can feasibly handle.
It's “well worth the wait,” the execs told waiting press, announcing that the film's release date had been shifted forward a week to November 15 internationally.
Naturally, there's only one way to honour Ridley Scott’s return to Ancient Rome after almost 25 years... with a giant fake cardboard coliseum that welcomed viewers to the auditorium.
And with a host of Roman legionnaires lining the theatre, Paramount boss Mark Viane teased the release would feature the ‘biggest action sequences ever put on film’.
Now that's a claim and a half.
It comes days after former Gladiator star Russel Crowe admitted the idea of a sequel made him "slightly uncomfortable".
Speaking with on US podcast Kyle Meredith With…, Crowe admitted: “I’m slightly uncomfortable, the fact that they’re making another one, you know?
"Because of course, I’m dead, and I have no say in what gets done."
Mescal is set to star as the grandson of Richard Harris’s Emperor Marcus Aurelius and marks a continuation of the first film.
It saw the Emperor killed by his son, played by Joaquin Phoenix, with the sequel set to see Connie Nielsen and Derek Jacobi reprise their roles as Lucilla and Senator Gracchus, respectively.
It will also see Joseph Quinn step into the role of Emperor Caracalla, and Pedro Pascal entering the arena as a former military commander.
Mescal poached for the new role after Scott caught a glimpse of his talent after, erm, binge-watching Normal People.
Well there's a relief. He's human after all.
“Can I see Paul Mescal being as big as Russell Crowe? For sure,” Scott was asked by Total Film in October 2023.
“I watched Normal People. It’s not my kind of show, but I saw four episodes in a row – boom, boom, boom. I was thinking, ‘Who the hell is this Paul Mescal?’" admitted Scott.
"And then I watched the whole series. And then, suddenly, Gladiator 2 came up because the script was working pretty well. And I kept thinking about Paul. And that was it.”
Gladiator is poised to hit cinemas on November 15.
In the meantime, you can catch the Russel Crowe original on Netflix now.
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