“This story needed to be told”: 24 years later, this Gladiator star is back in the Ridley Scott sequel

News culture “This story needed to be told”: 24 years later, this Gladiator star is back in the Ridley Scott sequel

The return of the peplum

Although Ridley Scott made his first foray into pure science fiction with “Alien” – a subject he has never really left behind since “Blade Runner”, “Prometheus” or “Alien Covenant” – the English director is a Historical film fan: We owe him in particular “Gladiator”, an absolute cult hit from the year 2000tells the dramatic story of the Roman general Maximus Decimus, who was deposed and imprisoned after a violent conspiracy against the ruling regime.

Five-star casting led by Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix (and not only that), legendary music by Hans Zimmer and Lisa Gerrard, brilliant direction by Scott and his team: Gladiator is a great classic of the Seventh Art. He has won 45 awards, including five Oscars. And even today we like to repeat certain lines that are etched in our memories: The sequel will be released this year and the excitement is slowly building.

A story that needed to be told

Obviously, changing a film like Gladiator with a sequel is risky. Ridley Scott will continue to direct and renew the story of Lucius, Lucilla’s child in the first filmwho was then played by Spencer Treat Clark. The action takes place 24 years after the events of Gladiator and to play the adult version of the character, Paul Mescal was chosen.

Spencer Treat Clark’s character of Lucius in Gladiator (left) and actor Paul Mescal, who will play Lucius in Gladiator 2

The very latest news is therefore the confirmation of the return of Lucilla in the film: exceptionally it is still Connie Nielsen who will play the character! And just recently, the actress gave an interview to ComicBook: In her opinion, “Gladiator 2” is extremely ambitious… and even necessary for the story of “Gladiator.”

I didn’t know what to expect when the story started, and looking at the previous story, it was almost inevitable. Of course we had to tell this story.

Lucilla (Connie Nielsen) in Gladiator

She also talks about her experiences on set, for which she is full of praise:

It was amazing. As always, Ridley has assembled an incredible cast and the film is a magnificent, heart-touching spectacle. As always with him, you have to use superlatives.

A tailor-made sequel for Gladiator fans? In your opinion it will be possible. We shouldn’t wait long for a first trailer since this sequel is expected in our French cinemas on November 20, 2024!

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