Here’s another scoop from Collider. We were wondering when the trailer for Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator II” was going to show up, and some speculated that it could even appear during screenings of “A Quiet Place: Day One,” but that won’t be the case.
We’re going to have to wait another month before we can catch footage of Scott’s upcoming swords and sandals epic. Word is that the “Gladiator II” trailer will be released online in mid-July and will also be attached to screenings of “Deadpool & Wolverine.”
That’s a smart move on the part of Paramount as “Deadpool & Wolverine” will, in all likelihood, be the biggest blockbuster of the summer. You’re going to have lots of heads watching the ‘Gladiator II’ trailer, which, hopefully, will be a well assembled cut that convinces a broad range of moviegoers to go see it on November 15.
Last week, Paramount President of International Theatrical Distribution Mark Viane stated that he and his peers were “blown away” by early footage that they saw of the film and felt the new installment was “well worth the wait.” Viane went on to claim that “Gladiator II” has some of the “biggest action sequences ever put on film.”
This could all very well be hyperbole, but there is a lot of anticipation for this $300 million sequel which is currently undergoing minor reshoots in England. The latest cut that was test screened in April had the film clocking in at around 2 hours 40 minutes.
“Gladiator II” is said to be a revenge story. Lucius (Paul Mescal), a noble journeyman, has his wife murdered and decides to go to the capital to seek revenge and fight his way to the top of the chain. Denzel Washington’s puppet master, a power broker, is the villain of the film, overseeing everything and impressed by Lucius’ talents.
According to a source who attended the April test-screening, the action scenes in “Gladiator II” are incredibly gory and, much like the original, rousingly entertaining — there’s sharks, killer monkeys, a massive rhino and overall great choreography.
Scott, 86, is coming off last year’s “Napoleon,” which was seen by many as a disappointing effort. He’s always been a hit-and-miss director, but also hasn’t had a critical and commercial success since 2015’s “The Martian.” Will “Gladiator II” break this dry spell?
Still no distributor for "Bucking Fastard," "Alpha Gang," "The Last Photograph," "Closing Night," and "The Life and Deaths of Wilson Shedd." The issue seems to be quality more than a lack of willingness to buy.