# Gladiator II
**Gladiator II** is a 2024 American historical epic directed by [Ridley Scott](https://www.edgepedia.org/ridley-scott) and distributed by [Paramount Pictures](https://www.edgepedia.org/paramount-pictures), the sequel to his Academy Award-winning *Gladiator* (2000). Set in the Roman Empire years after the first film, it follows Lucius ([Paul Mescal](https://www.edgepedia.org/paul-mescal)), who is forced into the Colosseum after his home is conquered by Rome's tyrannical emperors, with Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, and Connie Nielsen in principal supporting roles.[1](https://www.paramountpictures.com/movies/gladiator-ii) • [2](https://paramountglobalcontent.com/title/gladiator-sequel)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | Premiere November 22, 2024; rated R; running time 148 minutes[2](https://paramountglobalcontent.com/title/gladiator-sequel) |
| Director and writer | Ridley Scott, from a screenplay by David Scarpa[3](https://soc.org/project/gladiator-2/) |
| Principal cast | Paul Mescal (Lucius), Denzel Washington (Macrinus), Pedro Pascal (Marcus Acacius), Connie Nielsen (Lucilla), Joseph Quinn (Emperor Geta), Fred Hechinger (Emperor Caracalla), Derek Jacobi (Gracchus), Lior Raz (Viggo)[2](https://paramountglobalcontent.com/title/gladiator-sequel) |
| Box office | $55.5 million domestic opening weekend; roughly $462 million worldwide against a production budget reported at around $250 million, with later reports putting it above $300 million before marketing[4](https://apnews.com/article/c1fb55f5831a1af3984185dcea0cd4b5) • [5](https://www.cinemablend.com/movies/ridley-scott-breaks-silence-about-claim-blaming-paul-mescal-gladiator-2-reception) |
| Critical reception | Metascore 64 (generally favorable, 62 critic reviews); 70% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer and 80% from audiences[6](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/gladiator-ii/critic-reviews/) • [7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/gladiator_ii) |
| Awards | 9 wins and 113 nominations, including an Academy Award nomination for costume design (Janty Yates and David Crossman) and BAFTA nominations for Outstanding British Film, special visual effects, and sound[8](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9218128/awards/) |
| Development | In development, off and on, for two decades before production[9](https://apnews.com/article/24f72b42f3ea8dc288a4a1cd6510edc0) |
## Spoilers
### Story and characters
The film continues the saga of power, intrigue, and vengeance in ancient Rome. Years after witnessing the death of the revered hero Maximus at the hands of his uncle, Lucius is forced to enter the [Colosseum](https://www.edgepedia.org/colosseum) after his home is conquered by the emperors who now rule Rome, and he must look to his past to find the strength to restore Rome's glory to its people.[1](https://www.paramountpictures.com/movies/gladiator-ii)
**Lucius's identity.** The sequel establishes Lucius as the son of Maximus and Lucilla ([Connie Nielsen](https://www.edgepedia.org/connie-nielsen), reprising her role from the first film); Lucilla secretly sent the young Lucius away to the kingdom of Numidia for his protection after Maximus's death.[10](https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2024/11/gladiator-2-review/680772/) The opening sequence portrays Lucius defending Numidia from a Roman armada before he is enslaved.[11](https://reporter.anu.edu.au/all-stories/gladiator-ii-is-full-of-historical-inaccuracies-but-is-that-a-problem) In the arena he is mentored as a gladiator by Macrinus ([Denzel Washington](https://www.edgepedia.org/denzel-washington)), a former slave with aspirations of seizing Rome, while [Pedro Pascal](https://www.edgepedia.org/pedro-pascal) co-stars as the Roman general Marcus Acacius.[9](https://apnews.com/article/24f72b42f3ea8dc288a4a1cd6510edc0) On the throne sit the emperors Geta (Joseph Quinn) and his brother Caracalla (Fred Hechinger).[12](https://apnews.com/article/acbb5569bff7ec006d2975b5ba6be7da)
Sources describe the story's distance from the first film differently: *The Atlantic* places it 16 years after the events of *Gladiator*,[10](https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2024/11/gladiator-2-review/680772/) the Associated Press says 20 years,[12](https://apnews.com/article/acbb5569bff7ec006d2975b5ba6be7da) and a British Film Designers production account says 25 years.[13](https://britishfilmdesigners.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Gladiator-II_PRESENTATION_med-rez-23.1MB-v03-b72fc1044ce7b071d23c028aa07151bc.pdf)
## Production
After the original *Gladiator* won five Oscars and became one of the highest-grossing films of 2000, development on a sequel began quickly, but after years of false starts the project appeared dead at points.[3](https://soc.org/project/gladiator-2/) Scott said the film had been in development, off and on, for two decades, and that he kept returning to the idea while making other pictures; he began crafting storyboards before the script was complete.[9](https://apnews.com/article/24f72b42f3ea8dc288a4a1cd6510edc0) • [14](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ridley-scott-director-gladiator-2/)
The film was shot mainly in Malta and Morocco with a crew of 1,200 craftspeople.[15](https://www.motionpictures.org/2024/11/gladiator-ii-david-scarpa-on-the-herculean-task-of-writing-a-worthy-sequel/) Production designer Arthur Max, a frequent Scott collaborator, built a replica Colosseum that reached a third of the original structure's actual size, with more than 500 extras filling its rows; his team also recycled Scott's old Jerusalem set from *Kingdom of Heaven* (2005) to create a port.[16](https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/culture/story/gladiator-ii-star-paul-mescal-director-ridley-scott-115753535) • [17](https://www.msk.com/media/headlines/47_THR_WEEKLY_112024_COMBINED_PDF_SMALL.pdf) Scott confirmed he had edited more than an hour from the first cut of the film.[18](https://www.rte.ie/entertainment/2024/1108/1479857-ridley-scott-hints-at-plans-for-third-gladiator-film/)
## Reception
The film opened with $55.5 million in domestic ticket sales, which Paramount framed as a big bet on returning to the Colosseum with a largely new cast; its debut combined with *Wicked*'s opening to produce one of the busiest moviegoing weekends of the year, with the two films taking a combined $270 million worldwide.[4](https://apnews.com/article/c1fb55f5831a1af3984185dcea0cd4b5) Its final worldwide gross of roughly $462 million was weighed against a budget that reportedly climbed north of $300 million before marketing, making its profitability a subject of discussion.[5](https://www.cinemablend.com/movies/ridley-scott-breaks-silence-about-claim-blaming-paul-mescal-gladiator-2-reception)
Critics generally responded favorably but with reservations. The Rotten Tomatoes critics consensus calls it "an action extravaganza that derives much of its strength and honor from Denzel Washington's scene-stealing performance," and the audience score of 80% exceeded the critics' 70%.[7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/gladiator_ii) On Metacritic the film scored 64 from 62 reviews, with 38 positive, 22 mixed, and 2 negative.[6](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/gladiator-ii/critic-reviews/) Reviewers repeatedly measured it against its predecessor: some called it a spectacle worthy of the original's legacy, while others argued it essentially replicates the first film's story and felt fresher there.[19](https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/gladiator-ii-first-reviews-the-grand-spectacle-of-action-and-intrigue-youre-hoping-for/) At the 2025 awards season it received 9 wins and 113 nominations overall, including Oscar and BAFTA nominations for costume design, visual effects, sound, and Outstanding British Film.[8](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9218128/awards/)
## Historical accuracy
Historians have examined the film's liberties. The Colosseum really was flooded periodically for mock naval battles, known as naumachiae, usually reenactments of famous sea battles such as Salamis; but ancient sources give no support to the film's shark-infested waters, and one classical scholar said he had never read the word shark in an ancient historical narrative.[11](https://reporter.anu.edu.au/all-stories/gladiator-ii-is-full-of-historical-inaccuracies-but-is-that-a-problem) • [20](https://time.com/7178676/gladiator-movie-historic-acccuracy/) Rhinoceroses were exhibited in the amphitheater, and poems by Martial describe their ferocity, but gladiators riding rhinos, as in the film, are unattested.[11](https://reporter.anu.edu.au/all-stories/gladiator-ii-is-full-of-historical-inaccuracies-but-is-that-a-problem) The film's depiction of gladiators drawn from enslaved people, condemned criminals, and prisoners of war on the fringes of Roman society is broadly accurate.[20](https://time.com/7178676/gladiator-movie-historic-acccuracy/) Numidia, Lucius's conquered homeland, was a real province in the third century CE corresponding roughly to the north of modern Algeria.[11](https://reporter.anu.edu.au/all-stories/gladiator-ii-is-full-of-historical-inaccuracies-but-is-that-a-problem) Classicists have nonetheless argued the franchise captures the wondrous, almost unbelievable spectacles of real gladiatorial combat, and that the film may inspire audiences to study Roman history.[20](https://time.com/7178676/gladiator-movie-historic-acccuracy/) • [11](https://reporter.anu.edu.au/all-stories/gladiator-ii-is-full-of-historical-inaccuracies-but-is-that-a-problem)
## Home media and a possible sequel
The film began streaming on [Paramount+](https://www.edgepedia.org/paramount) in the United States and Canada on January 21, 2025,[21](https://www.paramountpressexpress.com/paramount-plus/shows/gladiator-ii/releases/) and later became available on Netflix, Prime Video, and other services in various regions.[22](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/gladiator-2) Scott has said there is already an idea for a third film, inspired by *The Godfather Part II*, and reported having storyboarded and partly written it, though he has also clarified that a third film is not yet a certainty.[18](https://www.rte.ie/entertainment/2024/1108/1479857-ridley-scott-hints-at-plans-for-third-gladiator-film/) • [23](https://www.gamespot.com/articles/ridley-scott-clarifies-those-gladiator-3-reports/1100-6527331/)
## References
1. [Gladiator II, Paramount Pictures](https://www.paramountpictures.com/movies/gladiator-ii)
2. [Gladiator II, Paramount Global Content](https://paramountglobalcontent.com/title/gladiator-sequel)
3. [Gladiator II, Society of Camera Operators](https://soc.org/project/gladiator-2/)
4. ['Wicked' and 'Gladiator' make gravity-defying theater debuts, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/c1fb55f5831a1af3984185dcea0cd4b5)
5. [Ridley Scott Breaks Silence About Claim That He Blames Paul Mescal For Gladiator II's Reception, CinemaBlend](https://www.cinemablend.com/movies/ridley-scott-breaks-silence-about-claim-blaming-paul-mescal-gladiator-2-reception)
6. [Gladiator II critic reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/gladiator-ii/critic-reviews/)
7. [Gladiator II, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/gladiator_ii)
8. [Gladiator II (2024) Awards, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9218128/awards/)
9. [Ridley Scott on going big with 'Gladiator II', AP News](https://apnews.com/article/24f72b42f3ea8dc288a4a1cd6510edc0)
10. [Gladiator II Is More Than Just a Spectacle, The Atlantic](https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2024/11/gladiator-2-review/680772/)
11. [Gladiator II is full of historical inaccuracies – but is that a problem?, ANU Reporter](https://reporter.anu.edu.au/all-stories/gladiator-ii-is-full-of-historical-inaccuracies-but-is-that-a-problem)
12. [Movie Review: 'Gladiator II,' with Denzel Washington, goes back into the arena, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/acbb5569bff7ec006d2975b5ba6be7da)
13. [Gladiator II presentation, British Film Designers](https://britishfilmdesigners.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Gladiator-II_PRESENTATION_med-rez-23.1MB-v03-b72fc1044ce7b071d23c028aa07151bc.pdf)
14. [Ridley Scott on returning for "Gladiator II": "I kept thinking about it", CBS News](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ridley-scott-director-gladiator-2/)
15. ["Gladiator II" Screenwriter David Scarpa on the Herculean Task of Writing a Worthy Sequel, The Credits](https://www.motionpictures.org/2024/11/gladiator-ii-david-scarpa-on-the-herculean-task-of-writing-a-worthy-sequel/)
16. ['Gladiator II' star Paul Mescal, director Ridley Scott and more talk revisiting Rome 2 decades later, Good Morning America](https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/culture/story/gladiator-ii-star-paul-mescal-director-ridley-scott-115753535)
17. [The Hollywood Reporter weekly issue (November 2024), via MSK](https://www.msk.com/media/headlines/47_THR_WEEKLY_112024_COMBINED_PDF_SMALL.pdf)
18. [Ridley Scott hints at plans for third Gladiator film inspired by The Godfather II, RTÉ](https://www.rte.ie/entertainment/2024/1108/1479857-ridley-scott-hints-at-plans-for-third-gladiator-film/)
19. [Gladiator II First Reviews, Rotten Tomatoes editorial](https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/gladiator-ii-first-reviews-the-grand-spectacle-of-action-and-intrigue-youre-hoping-for/)
20. [What Gladiator II Gets Right and Wrong About Real Fights in the Colosseum, TIME](https://time.com/7178676/gladiator-movie-historic-acccuracy/)
21. [Gladiator II Releases, Paramount Press Express](https://www.paramountpressexpress.com/paramount-plus/shows/gladiator-ii/releases/)
22. [Gladiator II streaming: where to watch movie online?, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/gladiator-2)
23. [Ridley Scott Clarifies Those Gladiator 3 Reports, GameSpot](https://www.gamespot.com/articles/ridley-scott-clarifies-those-gladiator-3-reports/1100-6527331/)
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