Gladiator 2 will return to the arena on November 14, 2024. Image source: Paramount Pictures
The first trailer for Gladiator 2 is here and it is already getting down to business. In the Roman Colosseum, it is not just arena fighters who cross swords. Instead, sea battles are staged (incidentally, based on the real model Naumachie
) and it even mixes a mounted rhinoceros with.
Finally a rhinoceros in the gladiator arena!
And with that, Ridley Scott fulfills a dream, 25 years after working on the first Gladiator. IGN has an old interview by producer Doug Wick with ComicBook who spoke in 2020 about what he regrets most about the five-time Oscar-winning monumental film.
In it, Wick revealed that Scott actually wanted to send a rhinoceros into the Colosseum, but this simply failed due to the associated costs:
There were problems, mainly related to financing. Ridley had actually planned to have a rhinoceros for the Colosseum. When we spoke to animal trainers about this, they said: Well, they’re easy to work with. But once they get going, there’s no stopping them.
Then we looked into CGI rhinos and they were way too expensive.
So I would say that we [bei Gladiator] regret that we couldn’t give Ridley a CGI rhino. That eventually gave rise to the joke: If we ever make a sequel, Ridley will get his rhino.
Now – almost 25 years later – Ridley Scott finally gets this wish fulfilledas the first trailer for Gladiator 2 shows. The CGI rhinoceros probably wasn’t as expensive as it was around 2000 anyway, as technology and industry have noticeably developed since then.
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Here is the first trailer for Gladiator 2: Back to the Colosseum
The entire film cost a fair amount of money – if a report from The Hollywood Reporter is to be believed. Apparently, the budget of Gladiator 2 has ballooned from 165 million US dollars to as much as 310 million. According to a Paramount insider, however, the costs are said to be only
250 million.
This is a result of numerous production problems. But filming was also slowed down by the big Hollywood strike of 2023: Because major film studios and streaming services refused to give writers and actors fairer wages and better working conditions for months, they went on strike for months.
By the way: You can read more about what new films you can expect in 2024 and beyond under the links above.
What do you think about Gladiator 2 getting a sequel from Ridley Scott almost 25 years later? What are your hopes and expectations for the film? Let us know in the comments!
