Denzel Washington Has Reportedly Joined The Cast Of Gladiator 2

The sequel to Gladiator has been languishing in development hell since 2001, but things appear to be on the move. We have a star, a brief summary, and even a release date that is considered “prime time” for awards season. Some more names are starting to float around regarding the cast, and one of them was announced today. According to Deadline, Denzel Washington is reportedly in final talks to join the cast of Gladiator 2. However, we don’t know what role he’s looking to play or how big of a role it will be. Washington has worked with director Ridley Scott before and worked with his late brother Tony Scott as well. Directors like to work with people they know they vibe with, and it seems like Washington and Scott know that they work well together.

Gladiator 2 Is A Sequel, But Don’t Expect Any Russell Crowe

A follow-up to Gladiator is one of those movies where you’re really unsure if this is a good idea, but it has been in varying stages of development since 2001. However, things fell apart in 2006, and it wasn’t until over a decade later, in 2017, that things started to pick up again. It was officially greenlit in November 2018, and last year it was announced that the script was complete. In January, we got word that Aftersun and Normal People star Paul Mescal was in talks to star. Ridley Scott is back to direct the film with a script by David Scarpa, returning costume designer Janty Yates, and production designer Arthur Max. Scott is set to produce along with Scott Free President Michael Pruss, as well as Doug Wick and Lucy Fisher via Red Wagon Entertainment.

“Mescal won’t be replacing Crowe’s Maximus, whose character met his end in the original film, but instead, he will be playing Lucius, the son of Lucilla (Connie Nielsen), who now is a grown man as the story takes place years after the first film ended. Lucius was also the nephew of Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix), the son of Roman leader Marcus Aurelius who murdered his father, seized the throne, and wound up in the gladiator ring with Maximus — who, though mortally wounded, skewered the emperor before fading into the great beyond to reunite with his slain wife and son. Maximus saved the boy and his mother while avenging his own family and left a strong impression on the young Lucius.”

While we have a release date of November 22, 2024, we don’t know if Gladiator 2 will be the title [it probably won’t], and we don’t have a start date yet for production.