Ridley Scott’s GLADIATOR 2 will pay homage to Russell Crowe’s original film

Like Ridley Scott’s Gladiator 2 is currently suspended due to the Hollywood strikes, the star of the film Pedro Pasquale recently spoke about the film during an interview with Esquire. While she can’t say much about the film, she has said she will pay homage to the original starring film Russell Crowe. When asked if he ever spoke to Crowe about the sequel, he said:

“I don’t know what we’re going to talk about. Like, I’d love to hear his stories from the shoot, but the character is, like, totally separate.”

When it comes out that Lucius may be Maximus’ son, Mescal refuses to respond with a “Nawp!” He went on to say:

“I can’t get into that! I can’t tell you how stressed I am talking about that particular movie because it’s definitely the greatest I’ve ever done. I feel really excited, but, like, it’s hard to walk away from the legacy of the movie. I think that it’s really well written and pays homage to the first one, but it’s really something I think I can go into and comfortably make my own.”

The sequel focuses on Lucius, son of Lucilla and grandson of Commodus, son of the Roman leader Marcus Aurelius who killed his father and seized the throne. Commodus met his downfall in the gladiatorial arena against Maximus, who despite being mortally wounded, defeated the emperor before dying to reunite with his family. Maximus had saved Lucius and his mother, leaving a lasting impact on the boy.

The film is also the protagonist Denzel Washington, Connie Nielsen returns as Lucilla, e Stranger things star Joseph Quinn as Emperor Caracalla. Fred Hechinger (The White Lotus) will also play Emperor Geta.

Also, just a friendly reminder, in case you ever run into Crowe, don’t ask him about it Gladiaor 2 because he knows nothing!