Ridley Scott Says​​Gladiator IIIs Just ‘as Good’ as Oscar-Winning Original (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Paul Mescal plays Lucius in ‘Gladiator II’.Photo:Paramount Pictures

Paramount Pictures

Ridley Scottis sharing his thoughts on the upcomingGladiator IImovie!

Speaking exclusively to PEOPLE at theAlien: Romuluspremiere on Monday, Aug. 12, the filmmaker, 86, gave some insight into what fans can expect from the sequel to the May 2000 original.

“It’s as good as the first one,” Scott tells PEOPLE. “I didn’t say better. It’s as good.”

Gladiator IIis set to arrive in theaters on Nov. 22, 2024 with Paul Mescal starring as the lead andPedro PascalandDenzel Washingtonas supporting cast members.

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The firstGladiatorwon five Oscarsat the 2001 Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor in a Leading Role (Crowe)

Maximus is then forced into slavery and fights his way up the ranks as a gladiator so he can take vengeance upon Commodus, who killed his family.

Gladiator IIwill follow from the previous events as Commodus’ nephew Lucius (Mescal), picks up his fight.

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Ridley Scott at the U.K. premiere of ‘Napoleon’ on November 16, 2023.Gareth Cattermole/Getty

Gareth Cattermole/Getty

“I thought the [first] film was, as it were, completely satisfactory, creatively complete, so why muck with it, right?” Scott toldDeadlinein November 2023. “But these cycles keeps going on and on and on, they repeat globally for the last 20 years. It started to spell itself out as an obvious thing to do, and that’s how it evolved.”

In July, Paramount Pictures released thetrailerfor the film. Fans were able to seea glimpseof Mescal’s Lucius as he entered the fighting ring in the Colosseum.

The trailer also teased a battle between Mescal and Pascal’s characters — and a gladiatorial battle with a rhino.

source: people.com