Ridley Scott Describes Denzel Washington's GLADIATOR 2 Character as "a Rich Guy Who's Still Carrying a Grudge"

Director Ridley Scott is working away on bringing his long-awaited sequel Gladiator 2 to the big screen. Set for a 2024 release, the film will come out 24 years after the first and will tell a whole new story set in that timeframe. The film will star Paul Mescal as Lucius, Pedro Pascal, Denzel Washington, Connie Nielsen back in the role of Lucilla, Fred Hechinger will play Emperor Geta, and Joseph Quinn will play Emperor Caracalla. They are joined by May Calamawy, Lior Raz, Derek Jacobi, Peter Mensah and Matt Lucas.

Up to this point, Academy Award-winning actor Denzel Washington was only said to have taken on a mystery role, but Ridley Scott has now given us a bit of information on who he will play.

In an upcoming interview with Total Film magazine (via GamesRadar), Scott was asked about Washington’s character, and he described it, saying:

"As for Denzel’s character… There were businesses of gladiators who could indeed earn their freedom if they stayed alive. That was the deal. So we went right into that, in-depth. Where did he come from? How was he taken? He was branded with marks and registered with a brand on his chest as a slave. So that’s how he comes into the story."

The process of a Gladiator winning back his freedom was explored heavily in the original movie, where the once-powerful general Maximus, played by Russell Crowe, is forced to become a common gladiator after being sold into slavery. Scott then goes on to explain how Washington’s character is unforgiving towards Romans because of what has happened to him in the past. "He’s a rich guy who’s still carrying a grudge," Scott concludes. 

The director went on to state his admiration for the Hollywood star, adding: "I respect Denzel Washington tremendously. I shouldn’t call Denzel a golden oldie – he’d fucking kill me – but he’s gold dust." This will be the second time the pair work together after Washington starred in Scott’s 2007 film, American Gangster. 

Gladiator 2 is set to release sometime in 2024 and will follow the nephew (Mescal) of Commodus who was saved by Maximus in the original.