Gladiator II will hit theaters next week, and if all goes well, it won’t be our final trip to the Colosseum. Director Ridley Scott has already said he’s working on Gladiator III, and Paul Mescal is ready to return for more.
“Oh yeah, massively down,” Mescal told Variety when asked if he’d want to appear in Gladiator III. “I don’t think it will be [24] years — but I have no idea when it will be.” Although the belated sequel has been receiving positive reviews, it will need to do some serious numbers at the box office to justify the $250 million budget (which some reports claim went as high as $310 million). In a separate interview with Variety, Mescal admits he’s feeling the pressure of headlining a film which needs to make at least $600 million to break even. “I do feel the pressure, and I do feel the desire for this to make money,” he said. “The box office needs a shot in the arm, and if films like ‘Gladiator II’ aren’t doing it, it would be concerning. So I do feel a responsibility.“
Our own Chris Bumbray recently reviewed Gladiator II, and while he admits that it isn’t the instant classic that the original was, “it’s nonetheless a highly entertaining, faithful sequel, jam-packed with action and spectacle. There hasn’t been a lavish, action-driven historical drama done on this scale in some time, with Scott, despite his advancing age, as energetic and kinetic a director as ever.” You can check out the rest of Bumbray’s review right here.
“From legendary director Ridley Scott, Gladiator II continues the epic saga of power, intrigue, and vengeance set in Ancient Rome,” reads the official Gladiator II synopsis. “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.” The film will hit theaters on November 22nd.
Would you like to see Paul Mescal return for Gladiator III?