Gladiator II is scheduled to hit theaters on November 22, 2024, according to Vanity Fair. In news related to this, some Internet users are upset about Denzel Washington’s presence in the movie while others are excited to see what he brings to the project.
Ridley Scott provided details about the story and characters during The Vanity Fair presentation.
The narrative of the movie is supposed to have happened following the original Russell Crowe story.
Actor Denzel Washington portrays “a dashing power broker named Macrinus”.
“Denzel plays an armaments trader from Numidia who manufactures steel, spears, weapons, cannons, and catapults in addition to providing food, wine, and oil to the army throughout Europe.
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Additionally, Ridley Scott said that Macrinus is an extremely well-off man because his stable is filled with gladiators rather than racehorses.
“He’s gorgeous, Ridley Scott remarked in joking. He drives a Ferrari that is gold. I got him a gold-plated carriage,” notes Scott.
However, since the first look landed on social media, some fans appear to be conflicted over the idea of a universe in which a black man became so powerful in the Roman Empire even if many others were thrilled to finally see images from the movie and make comparisons to the original.
One tweet seemed to be really offended, writing on X:
These sorts of comments actually represent a minority of movie fans, because there are far more people who can’t contain their excitement about having Denzel in “Gladiator II.” Below is an example of such tweets:
Other stars in the upcoming film are Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn among other
Pascal plays the character of the commander of the military, who was convicted and put to work as a gladiator.
Denzel’s character was a former slave who became a wealthy trader who had disdain for the rulers.
Quinn, plays Caracalla, the co-emperor from Commodus.
Serving as Lucius’ mother, Lucilla, Connie Nielsen seems to be the only main cast member from the first film to return.
Since Phoenix and Crowe both essentially died in the previous movie, it’s unclear if they will make an appearance in flashbacks or dream sequences, but the main focus is on the new actors and Mescal’s character, Lucius.
