Paramount's “Gladiator II” preview at CinemaCon has people talking.
Ridley Scott, appearing via video, introduced an unfinished trailer to the crowd. He also said the sequel was “more extraordinary” than the first one. Once people finally laid their eyes on the footage, the praise was universal.
GLADIATOR II a goddamn shark movie. There are sharks, crazy wild monkeys and bloodthirsty rhinos in the arena with them this time...I shit you not.
A few folks who were in attendance told me they were actually stunned by the footage. It thrilled them, but it also wasn’t at all what they expected.
Set 20 years after the first one, the trailer reveals Paul Mescal’s nobleman journey to becoming a gladiator, including facing off against a rhino and man-eating monkeys. We then see Pedro Pascal and Paul Mescal facing off against each other, both very bloodied.
Pascal plays a Roman general forced to become a gladiator after he wanted to stop sending men to war. Joseph Quinn is Emperor Caracalla. Denzel Washington is the shadowy operator manipulating everything.
Here’s THR’s description:
"I remember that day. I never forgot it. That a slave could take revenge against an emperor," says Paul Mescal's character. A boat battle is seen taking place in the Colosseum. Paul Mescal and other Gladiators fight vicious monkeys. "Rage is your gift," Denzel Washington tells Paul Mescal. Washington and Pedro Pascal watch on as Mescal fights a rhinoceros. The song "No Church in the Wild" plays. The footage ends with a brutal fight between Pedro Pascal and Paul Mescal.
The consensus seems to be that the ‘Gladiator II’ footage was the best thing screened at CinemaCon this week. I surely didn’t expect that to happen, but I guess underestimate Scott at your own peril.
A THR report confirmed that Scott’s sequel actually had its budget “balloon” from $165 million to a whopping $310 million. That is justifiably insane. The piece went on to describe Paramount execs as feeling “terribly vexed” by the whole ordeal, but felt relieved once they saw footage of the film which “blew them away.”
On-paper, “Gladiator II” could be top notch. You have Scott directing, David Scarpa writing and a cast that includes Denzel Washington, Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn and Connie Nielsen. It’s also the sequel to an Oscar-winning, and much beloved, blockbuster.
Scott is a very hit or miss director. For every good film he makes, he produces two or three mediocre ones. He’s still directed more than a handful of great films, but there should always be caution when it comes to whatever new film he releases. Which leaves us intrigued by what he might have in store with this sequel.
“Gladiator 2” is currently scheduled for a November 22, 2024 release.