DirectorRidley Scotthas offered an abundance of detail regarding the character that Hollywood icon and Oscar winnerDenzel Washingtonwill play in the upcoming swords-and-sandals sequel,Gladiator 2. In a recent interview withDeadline, Scott revealed that Washington’s character is an ex-gladiator who has now amassed vast wealth and climbed the social ranks. Now, he is vying for power amid a chaotic empire.
“There’s a parallel character, the owner of a business that supplied weapons for the Romans, who supplied the oil when they traveled, who supplied the wine they drink. They wouldn’t drink water, they drank wine. When they traveled, who would supply wagons and horses and tack? There had to be the arms dealers of the period; here is a man who already rich from supplying the weapons, the catapults. His hobby is like a racing stable except it’s gladiators. He’s got a stable of 30 or 40 gladiators.
He likes to actually see them fight and it evolves that that’s where he came from. He was captured in North Africa, and evolved into a free man because he was a good gladiator. But he hides that because also he’s now realizing the potential of his actual power. He’s wealthier than most senators, so already has thoughts and designs of the possible idea of taking power from these two crazy princes.”
Washington joins Paul Mescal inGladiator 2, which will see the actor reunite with director Ridley Scott following the 2007 crime flickAmerican Gangster. Speaking of which, Scott was asked whether his role inGladiator 2will be as “badass” as his portrayalofAmerican Gangster’sFrank Lucas. Scott replied…
“That is his thing. I think it’s his manner, and obviously he’s actually in a bad mood. I think it’s just the way he is. He tends to be abrupt. You got to get used to that. But nevertheless, he’s quite charming.”
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Gladiator 2 Is Due to Land in Theaters in November 2024
Directed by Ridley Scott and serving as a sequel to the critically acclaimed, Academy Award-winningGladiator,Gladiator 2is all set to beled byAftersunstar Paul Mescalas Lucius Verus, the son of Connie Nielsen’s Lucilla and nephew to Joaquin Phoenix’s Commodus.
Gladiator 2has been stuck in development for years, with Scott recently explainingwhy it has taken so longto return to ancient Rome.
“Why now? It didn’t have a script [before]. We tried, actually, four years ago, and I chose a very good writer who couldn’t get his head around it. He wrestled. He was terribly upset that he didn’t deliver. He’s a friend of mine. I said, ‘You’re not getting there?’ He said, ‘No.’ That took 10 months. So it went dead. And then we circled the wagons again, coming back with a very obvious idea, and why not? There’s a survivor. The survivor is the son of the union between Lucilla and Maximus.”
Gladiator 2is scheduled to be released on June 10, 2025.
