Gladiator’ Sequel: Paul Mescal in Talks to Star for Ridley Scott Scott is directing the Paramount project, the follow-up to his 2000 historical epic. Are you ready to be entertained, again? Ridley Scott is readying his long-gestating Gladiator sequel, with Normal People star Paul Mescal in negotiations for the film’s lead role. The Paramount project is set to be a follow-up to Scott’s best picture-winning 2000 feature, which followed Maximus Decimus Meridius (Russell Crowe), a former general who is forced into being a common gladiator under the rule of Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix), a patricidal self-appointed Emperor of Rome According to previous report, the sequel’s story will center on Lucius, the son of Lucilla, played by Connie Nielsen, and the nephew of Phoenix’s Commodus. David Scarpa, who worked with Scott on All The Money In the World and the duo’s upcoming Napoleon Bonaparte movie, is penning the script. Scott will also produce with Michael Pruss via Scott Free, and Doug Wick and Lucy Fisher via Red Wagon Entertainment. Gladiator was a co-production with Universal, with that studio now having the option to co-produce the sequel once the project is packaged. At the time of the release, Gladiator grossed $460 million at the box office and earned eleven Oscar nominations, winning five statutes, including best picture and best actor for Crowe. Heading into the sequel, Scott is coming off of directing Napoleon, reuniting with Phoenix playing the famed French Emporer with Vanessa Kirby playing Empress Josephine. Gladiator marks a signifigant milestone for Mescal, who first broke out in the Hulu series Normal People, earning a BAFTA award and an Emmy nomination for his role. Gladiator 2 would be Mescal’s first time leading a major studio production. After Normal People, the actor landed roles in a string of festival stand-outs, including Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Lost Daughter and Charlotte Wells’ Cannes entry Aftersun.
I still find that Gladiator fight scenes don't hold up well, but I won't complain about them from scratch. I don't know exactly what went wrong, but all the closeups, blurs and jump-cuts make the story of individual fights fairly confusing. I like the subject matter though, so would probably give the sequel a go. This resonates with my feelings: https://melmagazine.com/en-us/story/gladiator-still-sucks excerpt: "Furthermore, Gladiator looks like everyone making the movie felt angry and depressed. It’s dark and drab and filmed primarily in browns and oranges, so much so that the Universal Pictures and DreamWorks logos at the beginning of the movie are themselves orange. The film’s many battle scenes are comprised of about a hundred shots each, mostly all only half a second long and all close enough that it’s impossible to get any sense of what’s happening, where and to whom. The battles are just muddled chaos until the action finally winds down, and Crowe’s Maximus resumes glowering. The few battle shots that linger are maddeningly altered — their frame rate drops, like the movie is buffering on a shitty Wi-Fi connection, and also look absolutely terrible. " Other than that...
You're not kidding. I just watched the scene below and I'm still not sure what happened. It's still one of my favorite movies though.
Maximus was a General turned Roman slave waiting to die or brutally murder his opponent each day. Not sure how bright and colorful the film could be, but it was excellent IMO. We'll see what happens and curious about what they'll do with it.
I'm sure Ridley Scott had his reasons for shooting and editing it the way he did. I can't remember much of movie or how the other fight scenes were edited. Maybe the cuts didn't happen as quickly in later fights? I watched Michael Bay's Ambulance not long ago. The later half of the movie felt like one quick cut after another. I was bored pretty much halfway into it, but it was very disorienting and took me out of the story. I can see people taking issue with Gladiator if the fights were all shot like that. It's still a favorite though.
what we need is a prequel showing how general maximus rose to prominence. maybe start from the beginning as a private, played by tom holland.
I guess, but it felt to me like, "holy ****, these guys really can't fight convincingly, and my fight choreographer just walked off the set."
Frenetic jumpy-cut action sequences seemed to be a big thing in the early 2000's. If anything, this may have actually been a little ahead of the curve on the trend - possibly a trendsetter that other directors emulated. A couple of the Bourne movies which came out a few years after this were just silly with the wobbly hand cams and jumpy action sequences.
If you're talking **** about Sigourney Weaver I will go fisticuffs with you in the A.M. And no, I have not seen this movie.
That's what i was thinking after reading a few posts then watching the video. It's edited like a movie from that time period.
