Ridley Scott's GLADIATOR 2 Will Pay Homage to Russel Crowe's Original Film

As Ridley Scott’s Gladiator 2 is currently on hold due to the Hollywood strikes, the film’s star Pedro Pascal recently talked about the movie during an interview with Esquire. While he isn’t able to say much about the film, he did say that it will pay homage to the original movie starring Russel Crowe. When asked if he has ever spoken to Crowe about the sequel, he said:

"I don't know what we would talk about. Like, I'd love to hear his stories from filming, but the character is, like, totally separate."

When it’s brought up that Lucius could be Maximus's son, Mescal refused to answer that 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 film in particular because it's definitely the biggest one I've done. I feel really excited, but, like, it's difficult to get away from the legacy of the film a bit. I think it's really well written and it pays homage to the first one, but it's very much something that I think I can step into and make comfortably my own."

The sequel centers on Lucius, the son of Lucilla, and nephew of Commodus, the son of Roman leader Marcus Aurelius who murdered his father and seized the throne. Commodus met his downfall in the gladiator ring against Maximus, who despite being mortally wounded, took down the emperor before passing on to reunite with his family. Maximus had saved Lucius and his mother, leaving a lasting impact on the young boy.

The movie also stars Denzel Washington, Connie Nielsen back as Lucilla, and 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 Gladiaor 2 because he knows nothing!