Denzel, Denzel, Denzel

And various other 'Gladiator II' trailer thoughts.

Denzel, baby!!!! Photo: Screenshot.

It’s a little bit amusing that the sequel to Gladiator, the Ridley Scott movie from 2000, is just titled Gladiator II. Not “The Young Gladiator,” like a next generation, or even something vague but actionable like “Invasion” or “Legacy.”  Not even a name, like “Erin Brockovich” or “MA” — the mononym “Lucius,” the given name of the new gladiator, aka Paul Mescal, has a certain ring to it.¹ The sequel to Scott’s Gladiator sequel, released twenty-four years after the Russell Crowe original, is just called Gladiator II — dare I say the “Y'all know me. Know how I earn a livin’” of movie titles.

Not even the trailer’s pre-roll wastes any time: we’re invited to feast on Denzel Washington’s mischievous cackle. The fighting and swordplay are all an afterthought to this laugh. Denzel laughs like a man in the getaway car, a man who laughs like he knows he’s already won. In the poster, I swear to God Denzel is in colored contacts? Or is that just the way eye color changes with age? 

Too many trailers reveal too much of the plot. This one is admirably vague, just kind of ancient vibes: Denzel chooses Paul Mescal to fight in the Hunger Games against (?) Pedro Pascal for their freedom (??), and his enemies are the evil version of the Weasley² brothers? The stakes are high, per the description: “Gladiator II continues the epic saga of power, intrigue, and vengeance set in Ancient Rome. Years after witnessing the death of the revered hero Maximus at the hands of his uncle, Lucius (Paul Mescal) is forced to enter the Colosseum after his home is conquered by the tyrannical Emperors who now lead Rome with an iron fist. With rage in his heart and the future of the Empire at stake, Lucius must look to his past to find strength and honor to return the glory of Rome to its people.” But the stakes are even higher, per me: Austin Butler is already Denzel’s sonnnnnn,³ Glen Powell has earned a position at the grill,⁴ will there be room at the family table for Paul Mescal too?