The highly anticipated sequel to the 2000s Oscar-winning Gladiator has a lot to live up to but that does not stop director Ridley Scott from singing its praises! During an interview with Empire, the director claimed that Gladiator II is one of the “best things” he’s ever made which includes the original film, so the bar’s set too high now!
“One of the best things. I’ve made a few good ’uns,” he added. Scott continued to tease the sequel to the Russell Crowe starrer and five Academy Award-winning film, saying “It’s full-bore, brutal action.”
This wasn’t the first time Scott praised his upcoming film. Previously he told PEOPLE that the sequel is “as good” as the original film. “It’s as good as the first one. I didn’t say better. It’s as good,” he added.
Paul Mescal who’s the lead in the film weighed in and shared his opinion while speaking to Empire. He echoed the director’s feelings in terms of its brutality. “You’re feeling like their bodies are slowing down as they’re fighting. It’s not like ting-ting-ting! It’s more brutal,” he said regarding the action-packed sequences. “You’re feeling the fatigue.”
The build-up and marketing for the film is already soaring! Given that the original film was not just a critically acclaimed and award-winning film but something that united people over shared interests and became a phenomenon.
Although Crowe’s Maximus met his unfortunate fate at the end of Gladiator, his legacy will continue through Mescal’s Lucius who idolized the former for his grit and strength in the fighting pit, especially in the final combat where he took down the evil Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix).
Lucius’s mother sent him to a deserted island to protect him from the conspiring and brutal Roman Empire. However, in a manhunt led by Pedro Pascal’s General Marcus Acacius, Lucius—the rightful heir to the Empire—is discovered and brought in to be a Gladiator. Stuck in a fight or flight situation, will Lucius find the strength to restore glory to the people of Rome or face the same fate as Maximus? There’s a lot to look forward to!
Gladiator II will be released internationally in theaters on November 22.
