Seven months before the planned theatrical release of “Gladiator 2,” director Ridley Scott (86) presented scenes from the monumental film. The Brit from London attended the event in the Colosseum Theater of the Caesars Palace casino hotel at the CinemaCon film trade fair in Las Vegas via video link, as US trade newspapers reported.
The sequel may be even more extraordinary than the original, Scott said, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Attendees reported epic battle scenes in the gladiator arena with murderous monkeys, a rhinoceros and ships in the water-filled Roman Colosseum.
For the sequel, Scott brings Irish actor Paul Mescal (28, “Woman in the Dark”, “Aftersun”) in front of the camera as the main actor, as well as Denzel Washington as a Roman statesman. Pedro Pascal, Connie Nielsen and Joseph Quinn are also on board. Paramount Pictures plans to release “Gladiator 2” in theaters in November.
In the original film, Russell Crowe played the ex-general and celebrated gladiator Maximus, who kills his rival, the devious emperor’s son Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix), in a duel and ultimately dies himself. The blockbuster won five Oscar trophies, including Best Picture and for Lead Actor Crowe.
