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116-539: Gladiator II (stylized onscreen as GladIIator ) is a 2024 epic historical action film directed and produced by Ridley Scott that serves as a sequel to Gladiator (2000). Written by David Scarpa based on a story he wrote with Peter Craig , the film was produced by Scott Free Productions and distributed by Paramount Pictures . It stars Paul Mescal , Pedro Pascal , Joseph Quinn , Fred Hechinger , Lior Raz , Derek Jacobi , Connie Nielsen , and Denzel Washington . Jacobi and Nielsen reprise their roles from

232-578: A baboon, impressing the stable master Macrinus , who promises Lucius an opportunity to kill Acacius if he wins enough fights in Rome. Acacius returns to Rome as a war hero; Geta and Caracalla arrange gladiatorial games in the Colosseum to celebrate his victory. Disillusioned with war, Acacius requests a vacation with his wife Lucilla , the daughter of Aurelius and Lucius's mother, but the emperors refuse and plot to conquer Persia and India . Senator Thraex throws

348-656: A basin dug near the Tiber , capable of holding actual biremes , triremes and quinqueremes , he made 2,000 combatants and 4,000 rowers, all prisoners of war, fight. In 2 BC for the inauguration of the Temple of Mars Ultor (" Mars the Avenger "), Augustus gave a grander naumachia based on Caesar's model. This naumachia depicted a battle between the Greeks and the Persians and required a basin that

464-510: A battle, Macrinus and Lucius duel. Although Macrinus nearly kills Lucius in a river, Lucius is inspired by his mother's voice and kills Macrinus. He reveals his true identity as the imperial heir and speaks to both armies, convincing them to build a united and progressive Rome with him. Later, Lucius mourns his parents in the Colosseum. Egyptian - Palestinian actress May Calamawy , who was originally set to play an "important character", appears in

580-448: A child to protect him from rivals for the throne. She discreetly visits Lucius and tries to reconnect with him, but Lucius angrily rebuffs her. He resents being forced to flee Rome while his mother lived in luxury and is upset that her new husband caused Arishat's death. During a naumachia in the Colosseum, Lucius leads the gladiators to victory and fires a crossbow at the spectating Acacius but fails to kill him. Lucius learns that Ravi

696-523: A collaboration with Paramount to promote the film, with the film's actors Paul Mescal, Connie Nielsen, and Fred Hechinger joining the team at the 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix . The film's logo appeared on Ferrari's car for the Grand Prix itself. As of November 27, 2024, Gladiator II has grossed $ 141.8   million in the United States and Canada, and $ 165.5   million in other territories, for

812-528: A colonnade. In 18th and 19th century England, several parks featured mock naval battles with model ships, which were also referred to as naumachia . Peasholm Park in Scarborough , England, still stages such an event. Smaller, theatre-based aqua dramas were also popular. New York artist Duke Riley staged a naumachia in 2009 at the Queens Museum of Art . In Scotland naumachiae were staged on

928-656: A feature of the games, but could not be considered exceptional. The iconography bears witness to this. Of some twenty representations of a naumachia in Roman art , nearly all are of the Fourth Style , of the time of Nero and the Flavian dynasty . After the Flavian period, naumachiae disappear from the texts almost completely. Apart from a mention in the Augustan History ,

1044-602: A fight sequence, a rhinoceros was created via 3D printing controlled by radio remote, but filming the scene took two or three days and affected Mescal's physicality due to the temperature. Filming resumed on December 4 in Malta, and wrapped on January 17, 2024. Filming also took place on the South Downs at Devil's Dyke, Sussex in June 2024. In August 2023, the Times of Malta reported that

1160-483: A film production in the European Union. In January 2023, Paul Mescal was cast in the film as the adult Lucius (originally portrayed by Spencer Treat Clark ), while it was also reported that Arthur Max and Janty Yates , the production designer and costume designer of the original film, respectively, would also be returning to work on the sequel. Scott was unaware of Mescal's fame until he watched his performance in

1276-419: A global release on November 22. On July 1, 2024, it was announced that the film's release date would be shared with the first of the two-part film adaptation of the musical Wicked (from original film’s co-distributior, Universal), whose date was moved from November 27 to avoid competition with Moana 2 . This sparked speculation on whether pitting the two films together could lead to a scenario similar to

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1392-462: A historical or a mythical event and add an extravagant setting, lavish costumes, an expansive musical score , and an ensemble cast , which would make them extremely expensive to produce. The most common subjects of epic films are royalty and important figures from various periods in world history. The term "epic" originally came from the poetic genre exemplified by such works as the Epic of Gilgamesh and

1508-450: A horde of attackers, hoping for their deaths to trigger another riot that the Senate will defuse by executing Caracalla. Lucius and Lucilla reconcile to defeat Macrinus. Lucilla reveals to Lucius that he is Maximus's son and gifts him her father's ring, which also belonged to Maximus and Acacius. Lucius sends Ravi with the ring to request military aid from Acacius's legions outside Rome. Lucilla

1624-456: A jeweled Dizzy Gillespie -like hat in orange and blue silk, inspiring the character's appearance, plus Washington's status as a method actor . In April 2023, it was announced that Connie Nielsen and Djimon Hounsou would reprise their roles as Lucilla and Juba respectively, while Joseph Quinn was added to the cast as Emperor Geta . In May 2023, Pedro Pascal , May Calamawy , Lior Raz , Derek Jacobi , Peter Mensah and Matt Lucas joined

1740-688: A late source of limited reliability, only the town records ( fastia ) of Ostia tells us that in 109 Trajan inaugurated a naumachia basin. This site was discovered in the 18th century on the grounds of the Vatican City , northwest of the Castel Sant'Angelos . It is now referred to as the Naumachia Vaticana , with some sources erroneously calling it the Circus of Hadrian due to the similarities of its shape to that of other excavated circuses, along with

1856-699: A loch in Holyrood park in 1562 for the wedding of Lord Fleming and on the Water of Leith in 1581 for the wedding of the Earl of Moray and Elizabeth Stewart . A Naumachia was staged on the Thames at the wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Frederick V of the Palatinate in February 1613. In June 1613 Anne of Denmark visited Bristol . A seat was built for her at Canon's Marsh near

1972-426: A man who became the father of the two princes ...One of them was just this side of being dysfunctional, a lunatic. The other one tried to control his brother. So that state of constant disagreement and fluctuating personalities was where we began." Originally greenlit with a production budget of $ 165 million, the cost of the film increased to a reported $ 310 million by the time filming wrapped (though Paramount insisted

2088-572: A massive scale. Biographical films may be less lavish versions of this genre. They often have a Roadshow theatrical release and are often shot on 70 mm film . Many writers may refer to any film that is "long" (over two hours) as an epic, making the definition epic a matter of dispute, and raise questions as to whether it is a "genre" at all. As Roger Ebert put it, in his "Great Movies" article on Lawrence of Arabia : The word epic in recent years has become synonymous with big-budget B picture . What you realize watching Lawrence of Arabia

2204-455: A party for the emperors and arranges a gladiatorial duel as entertainment. After Lucius wins, Geta asks where he is from. Lucius contemptuously recites a verse from Virgil 's Aeneid , revealing his Roman education. Ravi, the gladiators' physician, treats Lucius's injuries and befriends him. Lucius emulates the late legendary gladiator Maximus in the Colosseum to win fights. Lucilla recognizes Lucius as her son, whom she sent away from Rome as

2320-588: A script by Scarpa. The rest of the cast signed on over the next several months. Filming took place between June 2023 and January 2024, with a five-month hiatus due to the 2023 Hollywood labor disputes . Gladiator II premiered in Sydney, Australia, on October 30, 2024. It was released in the United Kingdom on November 15 and in the United States on November 22. It received generally positive reviews from critics and has grossed $ 307 million worldwide. Sixteen years after

2436-585: A sequel was that, even though Maximus Decimus Meridius died at the end of the original film, what happened to Lucius Verus was left ambiguous, considering the questions about his whereabouts perfect for a second film. The following year, a sequel was announced to be moving forward with John Logan serving as screenwriter. The plot, set 15 years later, included the Praetorian Guards ruling Rome , and an older Lucius—the son of Lucilla in Gladiator —searching for

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2552-471: A sequel, but as time passed, he noticed how well Gladiator aged to the point of seemingly having "taken a life of its own" that it made him feel that he owed the audience a continuation to that story. Scott became determined to not let go the project, deciding to do it for both creative and financial reasons if a good idea came up. In March 2017, Scott revealed that the difficulties of reintroducing Maximus had been resolved. The filmmaker expressed enthusiasm for

2668-474: A shallow layer of water covering the surface of the arena, the minimum required to float the ships. The introduction of new technologies initially led to an increased number of naumachiae . The first three naumachiae were spaced about 50 years apart; the following six, most of which took place in amphitheatres, occurred in a space of 30 years. Less costly in material and human terms, they could afford to be staged more frequently. Less grandiose, they became

2784-609: A simple basin dug into the low-lying ground on the northern or southern banks of the Tiber, and fed by its waters; the exact location is unknown; most likely Trastevere or the Campus Martius . The naumachia of Augustus is better known: in his Res Gestæ (23) Augustus himself indicates that the basin measured 1800 × 1200 Roman feet (approximately 533 × 355 meters). Pliny the Elder ( Natural History , 16, 200), describes an island formed in

2900-423: A striking resemblance to Richard Harris , who played Marcus Aurelius in the original film, so he opted to cast Mescal despite his newcomer status under the pretext he launched careers likewise for Sigourney Weaver and Brad Pitt when he cast them in his films Alien (1979) and Thelma & Louise (1991) respectively. To prepare for the role, Mescal didn't get in touch with Crowe to avoid audiences thinking

3016-486: A worldwide total of $ 239   million. In the United States and Canada, Gladiator II was projected to gross around $ 60 million from 3,500 theaters in its opening weekend. It was released alongside Wicked , which was compared to 2023's Barbenheimer due to the films' contrasting target audiences. The film made $ 22 million on its first day, including $ 6.5 million from Thursday night previews. It went on to debut to $ 55.5 million, finishing second behind Wicked . It marked

3132-472: Is brought into the Colosseum with the senators with whom she conspired, while Lucius rallies the gladiators to revolt against their enslavers. Armed with Maximus's sword and armor, he leads the gladiators to defend Lucilla from execution. Gracchus is killed in the onslaught, while Macrinus kills Caracalla before fatally shooting Lucilla with an arrow. Macrinus flees the rioting city with Lucius in pursuit. Acacius's and Macrinus's armies meet outside Rome. To avert

3248-444: Is known of the site other than that it was built on the Campus Martius . Nero presented another naumachia in 64 AD. This was preceded by hunts and followed by gladiatorial combat and a great banquet (Dio Cassius, LXII, 15, 1). It is unknown what form these games took. It was probably the same wooden amphitheatre, given that there is no mention of its destruction before the great fire of Rome which happened shortly afterwards. For

3364-504: Is nicely set out by the film" and that "the culture of gladiators is well presented with a doctor of gladiators". Some of the weapons that are featured in this film were not invented for another thousand years. Prior to the reenacted naval battle within the Colosseum, the announcer claims that the gladiators would be reenacting the Battle of Salamis between the Trojans and the Persians. In reality,

3480-479: Is that the word epic refers not to the cost or the elaborate production, but to the size of the ideas and vision. Werner Herzog's Aguirre: The Wrath of God didn't cost as much as the catering in Pearl Harbor , but it is an epic, and Pearl Harbor is not. The epic is among the oldest of film genres, with one early notable example being Giovanni Pastrone 's Cabiria , a two-and-a-half hour silent film about

3596-608: Is to be believed, (Moselle, 200–2,29), a naumachia was held on the Moselle River between local youth. A naumachia was performed for Henry II of France in Rouen in 1550. A naumachia was part of the festivities of Wedding of Arch Duke Ferdinando I de' Medici and Christine of Lorraine held in the courtyard of the Palazzo Pitti in Florence in 1589. There is an etching of

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3712-493: The Augustinian basin. A naumachia in the Colosseum could therefore not have been as grand as the previous ones. One can imagine a confrontation between the crews of several reproductions of warships, potentially life-size or reasonably close to it, but actual maneuvers or even floating seems doubtful. It is known that stage-props were used to represent ships, sometimes with mechanisms to simulate shipwrecks, both on stage and in

3828-530: The BBC Three / Hulu miniseries Normal People , which he came across in his need for a " bedtime story ". Shortly after, the story for Gladiator II was completed, and Scott ultimately cast Mescal in the lead role after a brief Zoom call. Austin Butler , Richard Madden and Miles Teller had also been considered for the lead role. Mescal was chosen after Daria Cercek and Michael Ireland had seen his performance in

3944-528: The Barbenheimer phenomenon, which was a result of Barbie and Oppenheimer both being released on July 21, 2023. On July 10, 2024, Mescal called the double release "Glicked" and voiced his support for the two films to be shown as a double feature , saying "It would be amazing 'cause I think the films couldn't be more polar opposites and it worked in that context previously. So, fingers crossed people come out and see both films on opening weekend". Much like

4060-598: The Bristol Cathedral , where on 7 June she watched a staged battle at the confluence of the Avon and Frome rivers, fought between an English ship and two Turkish galleys. After the victory, some Turkish captives (played by actors) were presented to her and she laughed at this, saying both the actors' costumes and their "countenances" were like the Turks. The entertainment at Bristol was described in verse by Robert Naile, who mentions

4176-554: The Punic Wars , which laid the groundwork for the subsequent silent epics of D. W. Griffith . The genre reached a peak of popularity in the early 1960s, when Hollywood frequently collaborated with foreign film studios (such as Rome's Cinecittà ) to use relatively exotic locations in Spain, Morocco and elsewhere for the production of epic films such as El Cid (1961) or Lawrence of Arabia (1962). The genre soon spread to other regions of

4292-501: The West End revival of A Streetcar Named Desire , claiming that the "ladies in the audience [had been] very vocal" when he had taken his shirt off. Having seen the original film when he was 13 with his father, Mescal was invited for breakfast by Lucy Fisher and Douglas Wick , who informed him about the sequel's casting, proceeding to tell Scott about his physical capabilities due to playing Gaelic football in his youth while Scott found

4408-426: The afterlife . Although Crowe and Scott had discussed how to bring the former back by having his character resurrect, Scott concluded that Crowe would have to return either as Maximus' double or play another character. By September 2003, Scott announced that the script was completed, while confirming that the story would primarily center on Lucius. In May 2006, Scott stated that DreamWorks Pictures had wanted to make

4524-459: The toponymy of naumachia and dalmachia at the site are taken into consideration, it still existed into the 5th century. Moreover, the presence of bleachers on its perimeter is a strong indicator of regular shows. According to the Ostia municipal records, the inauguration involved 127 pairs of gladiators; leading one to believe that as in the amphitheatre, the restrictive space at Trajan's basin

4640-624: The "epic" film, encompassing such examples as Ben-Hur , Gone with the Wind and more recently, 300 and the Star Wars films [...] none of these comes from literary epics per se , and there is little that links them with one another. Among those who espouse film genre studies, epic is one of the most despised and ignored genres". Finally, although the American Movie Channel formally defines epic films as historical films, they nonetheless state

4756-431: The 2000s, DreamWorks Pictures—including the rights to Gladiator and the rest of the pre-2006 live-action film library—was sold to Paramount Pictures in 2006 and development on the sequel was halted. Over the years, other attempts on a sequel script were made, but Scott felt that many writers "were afraid to take it on". He also said that he and everyone involved in the original film were busy so no one thought about making

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4872-580: The Battle of Salamis was fought in 480 BCE between the Greek city-states and the Persians, with no Trojan involvement. The real-life Macrinus was a praetorian prefect of Berber descent from North Africa (not sub-Saharan African descent) who became Roman emperor in 217 AD after conspiring against Caracalla and having him murdered. He was not a slave to Marcus Aurelius and never trained gladiators. In an interview with The Times where Denzel Washington addressed

4988-450: The Mérida amphitheatre, at only 1.5 meters, was shallower than that at Verona. Because it is so shallow—less than the height of a standing man—it cannot be confused with an underground service room. This basin was equipped with access stairs and covered with material similar to that used for swimming pools and Roman baths . It was also served by two conduits, the western one of which connected to

5104-484: The Roman Empire for about 250 years during the reign of Caracalla. University of Chicago historian Shadi Bartsch described the film as "total Hollywood bullshit". At the same time, baboons and a rhinoceros showcased on the Colosseum's arena are historically attested, although there is no record of gladiators riding a rhinoceros. Scholar Ray Laurence noted that "the ancient admiration of those who defy death as gladiators

5220-472: The Tiber; with the stone removed serving to repair the Circus Maximus , which had burnt on two sides. It was probably in the time between these two naumachia that Domitian completed the network of rooms underneath the Colosseum that are visible today, at the same time precluding such spectacles in the arena. The arena at the Colosseum only measured 79.35 × 47.20 meters, far removed from the dimensions of

5336-491: The Turks were played by sailors, "worthy brutes, who oft have seen their habit, form and guise". They were made to kneel before Anne of Denmark and beg for mercy as the final act of the pageant. In Georgian-era Britain, Naumachia were staged in private parks and gardens, consciously recreating them based on the Roman pattern, though on a smaller scale. The Lord le Despencer constructed an artificial lake at West Wycombe in

5452-461: The United States and Canada on November 22, by Paramount Pictures . Universal Pictures declined to co-finance the sequel or distribute it overseas as it had the first film, leaving only Paramount as the worldwide distributor. In Australia, Italy and New Zealand, Gladiator II was released earlier on November 14, following the film's world premiere in Sydney on October 30. It was previously scheduled for

5568-555: The Verona amphitheatre was deeper than the rooms normally found underneath the arena, and served as a basin. It was connected to two axial conduits. One, circulating under the West gallery of the arena, was not connected to the drainage system and had to be connected to an aqueduct in order to fill the basin. The East conduit was deeper and designed to drain water into the Adige River . The basin at

5684-580: The Wind is the highest-grossing film ever, with two other romantic epics ( Titanic and Doctor Zhivago ) also featuring among the global top ten. So far the most Academy Awards ever won by a single film stands at eleven. This feat has only been achieved by three films: Ben-Hur (1959), Titanic (1997) and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003), all of which are above three hours long and considered epic films. The previous record holder

5800-703: The ancient Pagan gods. During his mission, Maximus is tricked into murdering his own son. Cursed to live forever, Maximus fights in the Crusades , World War II , and the Vietnam War ; with the ending revealing that in the present-day , the character now works at the Pentagon . The script was rejected and scrapped after Steven Spielberg , who had consulted on the original film, told Scott it wasn't going to work, especially as Cave had written something "too grand" due to his theatre work. After experiencing financial difficulties in

5916-417: The arena ( Tacitus , Annales , XIV, 6, 1; Dio Cassius LXI, 12,2). The use of enough water to float vessels in amphitheatres raises technical questions. Amphitheatres were not exclusively used for naumachiae ; they would have been filled and drained rapidly enough for use in gladiatorial combats and other spectacles. The rapid transition between water shows and earth-based shows seems to have been one of

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6032-526: The basis of their enormous scope and the sweeping panorama of their settings such as How the West Was Won or East of Eden that do not have the typical substance of classical epics but are directed in an epic style. When described as "epic" because of content, an epic movie is often set during a time of war or other societal crisis, while usually covering a longer span of time sometimes throughout entire generations coming and passing away, in terms of both

6148-519: The biggest opening weekend of Denzel Washington's career, and also topped 8 Mile ($ 51.2 million in 2002) for the best opening for a November R-rated film. The film was released in 63 territories one week ahead of its U.S. release and earned $ 87 million, the biggest opening weekend of Ridley Scott's career. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 71% of 318 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.7/10. The website's consensus reads: "Echoing its predecessor while upping

6264-420: The bloodsport and camp, Gladiator II is an action extravaganza that derives much of its strength and honor from Denzel Washington's scene-stealing performance." Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 64 out of 100, based on 62 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale (down from

6380-537: The cast of the film, with Fred Hechinger entering negotiations to play Caracalla after Keoghan had to drop out over scheduling conflicts with Saltburn (2023). Jacobi reprises his role as Senator Gracchus from the first film. Similarly to Mescal, Pascal underwent intense gladiator training for his role, which he found challenging, but deemed the experience "the most exciting" of his career due to growing up with Scott's films. In December, Hounsou announced that, despite initially being involved, he would not be returning for

6496-437: The center, probably rectangular and connected to the shore by a bridge where the privileged spectators likely sat. Taking into consideration the size of the basin and the dimensions of a trireme (approximately 35 × 4.90 meters), the thirty vessels used would hardly be able to manoeuvre. Knowing that the crew of a Roman trireme was approximately 170 rowers and 50 to 60 soldiers, a simple calculation allows us to see that to achieve

6612-564: The death of Marcus Aurelius , Rome is ruled by the corrupt twin emperors Geta and Caracalla . Aurelius's grandson, Lucius Verus, lives under the alias "Hanno" with his wife Arishat in the North African kingdom of Numidia . The Roman army led by General Acacius invades and conquers the kingdom, killing Arishat and enslaving Lucius. To advertise the slaves as potential gladiators , the Romans pit them against feral baboons. Lucius savagely kills

6728-410: The emperor, his victories and his monuments. The specific nature of the spectacle as well as the historical themes borrowed from the Greek world are closely tied to the term naumachia . This word, a phonetic transcription of the Greek word for a naval battle ( ναυμαχία / naumakhía ), has since come to also refer to the large artificial basins created for them. Caesar's naumachia was probably

6844-454: The emperors to arrest Lucilla and Acacius for treason. Macrinus arranges for Lucius to fight Acacius in the Colosseum. Lucius defeats Acacius but refuses to execute him. The Praetorian Guard execute Acacius at the emperors' command, prompting the people to riot. When Macrinus questions Lucius's refusal to kill Acacius, Lucius argues that Rome can be a better place, but Macrinus disagrees. Macrinus visits Lucilla in her cell and reveals that he

6960-449: The epic film may be combined with the genre of science-fiction and cite Star Wars as an example. Stylistically, films classed as epic usually employ spectacular settings and specially designed costumes, often accompanied by a sweeping musical score, and an ensemble cast of bankable stars . Epics are usually among the most expensive of films to produce. They often use on-location filming, authentic period costumes , and action scenes on

7076-426: The epic is often credited to their ability to appeal to a wide audience. Several of the highest-grossing films of all-time have been epics. James Cameron 's 1997 film Titanic , which is cited as helping to revive the genre, grossed $ 1.8 billion at cinemas worldwide to become the highest-grossing film—a record it held for twelve years. If inflation is taken into account, then the historical romantic epic Gone with

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7192-652: The event that was part of an album created by Orazio Scarabelli to document the wedding festivities. A naumachia was held in Valencia between the Bridges of the Turia river, on the occasion of the centenary of the canonization of Saint Vincent Ferrer in 1755. Another was held in Milan for Napoleon in 1807. Parc Monceau in Paris features a naumachia water feature, surrounded by

7308-410: The event, has them salute the emperor with the phrase " morituri te salutant " ("those who are about to die salute you"). There is no evidence that this form of address was used on any occasion other than this single naumachia . The naumachia was thus a bloodier show than gladiatorial combat, which consisted of smaller engagements and where the combat did not necessarily end with the death of

7424-402: The events depicted and the running time of the film. Such films usually have a historical setting, although speculative fiction (i.e. fantasy or science fiction ) settings have become common in recent decades. The central conflict of the film is usually seen as having far-reaching effects, often changing the course of history. The main characters' actions are often central to the resolution of

7540-513: The fate of defeated gladiators, with Nielsen in the background. In June of that year, Scott showcased an extended clip of the film featuring Denzel Washington, Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Connie Nielsen, and Quinn. A poster for the film was released on July 8, 2024, with a trailer released the following day. The trailer would also reportedly be attached to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film Deadpool & Wolverine (2024), which

7656-544: The film in an uncredited non-speaking background role as Macrinus' companion. Some publications linked her omission to the ongoing war in Gaza and her support for Palestine in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict . In June 2001, developments for a Gladiator (2000) follow-up began for either a prequel or sequel , with David Franzoni in early negotiations to once again serve as screenwriter. Ridley Scott 's logic to make

7772-574: The film were released; the original uncut MA15+ version (with the consumer advice "strong themes and violence"), and the edited M-rated version (" animal cruelty , blood and gore, injury detail and violence") where blood spray is either trimmed down or removed. Footage of the film screened at the CinemaCon 2024 in Las Vegas included scenes of Joseph Quinn as Geta dressed in a white toga and laurel-leaf crown dramatically plunging his thumb downward to note

7888-500: The film will define his career, trained physically, ate sweet potato and ground beef to put on 18 pounds of muscle and remembered Roman history he studied at school, in addition to practice fighting choreography, horse training and sword fighting. In March 2023, Barry Keoghan entered negotiations to join the cast in the role of Emperor Caracalla while Denzel Washington joined the cast. Regarding Scott and his brother Tony as "great filmmakers" who never miss, Washington accepted

8004-401: The first film's A), while those surveyed by PostTrak gave it a 77% overall positive score, with 64% saying they would "definitely recommend" it. Rotten Tomatoes reported that critics praised the action, performances, story, and visuals, but some argued that "plot-wise it's actually too similar to its predecessor". Similarly, Metacritic stated that "most critics also feel that the film lives in

8120-436: The first film, with Mescal replacing Spencer Treat Clark . Mescal portrays Lucius, whose home is invaded by the Roman army led by General Acacius. He seeks revenge against Acacius and fights as a gladiator for Macrinus, a former slave who plans to overthrow the twin emperors Geta and Caracalla. A sequel to Gladiator was discussed as early as June 2001, with David Franzoni and John Logan set to return as screenwriters. Over

8236-421: The first film. In an interview with Curzon , he said that the film was "in really good hands" with Gregson-Williams, who had started his career as Zimmer's assistant. Gregson-Williams wrote 100 minutes of original score for the film, and used some of Zimmer and Gerrard's musical cues from the first film. Gladiator II was released internationally, including the United Kingdom, on November 15, 2024, and later in

8352-410: The future of the project, while discussions with Crowe to reprise his role were ongoing. In November 2018, it was announced that Paramount was greenlighting the development of a sequel. Scott was in early negotiations to once again serve as director, with a script written by Peter Craig . Scott would also serve as producer alongside Douglas Wick, Lucy Fisher, Walter Parkes, and Laurie MacDonald, with

8468-490: The government of Malta was due to pay €46,653,961 to the subsidiary company of Paramount Studios producing the film, and "breaks the record for the biggest state aid to cinema in the EU." In January 2024, it was reported that Harry Gregson-Williams was composing the score for the film, taking over from Hans Zimmer and Lisa Gerrard who scored the first film. Zimmer decided not to return because he did not want to repeat his work from

8584-473: The grandsons of Augustus (Dion Cassius, 66, 25, 3). This vast area was probably built upon by the end of the 1st century. A new development occurred during the reign of Nero : a naumachia in an amphitheatre . Suetonius ( Nero , XII, 1) and Dio Cassius ( Roman History , LXI, 9, 5) speak of such a spectacle in 57 AD in a wooden amphitheatre inaugurated by the last of the Julio-Claudian dynasty . Nothing

8700-520: The great attractions. Dio Cassius underscores this as it relates to Nero's naumachia (LXI, 9, 5); Martial does as well speaking of Titus' naumachia in the Colosseum ( Book of Spectacles , XXIV). The only surviving written sources offer no descriptions of the mechanisms or engineering involved. Archaeology provides no clues: the basement of the Colosseum has since been modified. Only two provincial amphitheatres, those at Verona and Mérida, Spain , provide any technical evidence. The central pit of

8816-404: The historical inaccuracy of Macrinus being adapted as a Black man in the film, Washington acknowledged that the real Macrinus was not black. The emperors Geta and Caracalla were not twins. Lucius Verus was Roman emperor from 161 AD until his death in 169 AD, alongside his adoptive brother Marcus Aurelius . The character of Lucilla is also based on a real historical figure. The real-life Lucilla

8932-456: The inauguration of the Colosseum in 80 AD, Titus gave two naumachiae , one in the Augustinian basin, again using several thousand men, and the other in the new amphitheatre (Dio Cassius, LXVI, 25, 1–4). According to Suetonius ( Domitian , IV, 6–7), Domitian organised a naumachia inside the Colosseum, undoubtedly circa 85 AD, and another one in the year 89 AD in a new basin dug beyond

9048-466: The intention to co-produce the film. While working together on the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film Thor: Love and Thunder (2022), the two actors shared additional ideas for the film. By September 2021, Scott stated that the script was once again being worked on with his intention being to direct the sequel upon the completion of production on Napoleon (2023). In November, it was revealed that David Scarpa , who worked with Scott on Napoleon ,

9164-424: The losers. More exactly, the appearance of naumachia is closely tied and only slightly earlier than that other spectacle, "group combat", which did not pit single combatants against one another, but rather used two small armies. There again, the combatants were frequently those sentenced to death and lacked the specialized training of true gladiators . Caesar, creator of the naumachia , simply had to transpose

9280-571: The movie is in early stages of development and intended to be the next project he works on, though the following month he stated to The New York Times his next projects after Gladiator II will be a Bee Gees biopic, set to shoot in September 2025, and an adaptation of the science fiction novel The Dog Stars , set to shoot in Italy in April 2025. Epic film Epic historical films would usually take

9396-507: The movie would sponsor that year's King of Pro-Wrestling event on October 14, which is slated to be the first since 2019. On 1 November 2024, at Lucca Comics & Games 2024, to promote the film in Italian cinemas, Francesco Totti played a Roman centurion . On November 11, 2024, Scuderia Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr. attended the film's premiere in London as part of

9512-438: The nearby San Lazaro aqueduct. The dimensions of these basins rule out any but the most basic of naumachiae : the one at Mérida measures a mere 18.5 × 3.7 meters. Only the most modest of water spectacles could have taken place here. This leads one to conclude that, even assuming that the Colosseum had a similar basin before construction of the hypogeum (underground complex), naumachiae would have been performed on only

9628-415: The net cost did not exceed $ 250 million). Additionally, Ridley Scott's desire to have a rhino battle in the original film, which went unrealized due to cost, was included in the sequel. Closer to its release, Deadline Hollywood reported the film's net budget to be $ 210 million. The production received nearly €47 million in film incentive rebates from Malta, setting a record for the largest rebate issued for

9744-475: The next few years, Scott offered occasional updates, including the possible involvement of the original film's lead actor, Russell Crowe , along with plot ideas about the Roman afterlife and different historical time periods . Development was halted when DreamWorks sold the rights to the property to Paramount in 2006. The film was finally announced in 2018, and Mescal was cast in the lead role in January 2023, with

9860-545: The north and the church of San Francesco a Ripa in the southeast, in the loop of the Tiber. The republican viaduct discovered in the Via Aurelia near San Crisogono may also have served as a conduit for the basin. The basin did not last very long. During the reign of Augustus it was partly replaced (Suetonius, Augustus , 43, 1) by the nemus Cæsarum (sacred forest of the Caesars), later renamed "forest of Gaius and Lucius" for

9976-430: The number of 3000 men the vessels of Augustus' fleet would have to have held more combatants than an actual fleet. The spectacle thus focused less on the movement of the vessels, and more on their actual presence in the artificial basin and the hand-to-hand combat which developed. It was different for Claudius' naumachia . The two fleets each consisted of 50 vessels, which corresponds to the number of vessels in each of

10092-467: The original film, Gladiator II was given a R rating by the Motion Picture Association due to "strong bloody violence". Unlike other past films of his, Scott has stated that Gladiator II will not receive a director's cut , as he has earned the right to have his final cut and removed some scenes during filming so he did not need to do so after finishing the film. In Australia, two cuts of

10208-437: The original film. Film critic Scott Menzel deemed the film Scott's best since The Martian (2015), a "big, bloody and bad ass action spectacle" that builds upon the original film's legacy. The film's historical accuracy was also criticized for its many deviations from fact. Some inaccuracies include the siege of a Numidian city by Roman triremes and the presence of sharks in a naumachia . Numidia had already been part of

10324-411: The project being a joint-venture production between Paramount, Scott Free Productions , Red Wagon Entertainment , and Parkes+ MacDonald Image Nation . In June 2019, the producers revealed that the script took place 25 to 30 years after the first film. The plot was reported to center around Lucius. In April 2021, Chris Hemsworth approached Crowe with a proposal to become involved with the project, with

10440-517: The provinces, the influence of Roman naumachiae is easily discernible, but limited and reduced to local and innocuous naval games and re-enactments. A competition which went under the name of naumaciva was part of the Panathenaic Games between the Athenian Ephebos from the Flavian period onward. It replaced the regattas which had taken place at these games earlier. If Ausonius

10556-421: The realization depends on the reception for the second installment. Titled Gladiator III , the plot was stated to follow the continuing adventures of Lucius Verus. Likening the ending of Gladiator II to The Godfather Part II (1974), the filmmaker stated that the next movie would explore the character's realization that he is now tasked with a continuing reputation that he does not want. Scott later stated that

10672-470: The rest of the film. Mescal felt some nerves over shooting in the assembled Colosseum and shooting scenes with Washington. Scott purposely took Mescal to the Colosseum set so he could familiarize himself with it, as Mescal hadn't done any big studio movies before. An accident involving fire during filming on June 7 injured six crew members. Filming was suspended in July due to the 2023 Hollywood labor disputes . For

10788-470: The role out of interest to work with the inspirational Scott brother again after their previous collaboration in American Gangster (2007). Additionally, John Mathieson was set to return as cinematographer for the film. Scott didn't conceive Macrinus with Washington in mind, but felt inspired to cast him after seeing Jean-Léon Gérôme 's painting Moorish Bath , which depicted a black bearded man with

10904-718: The same principle to another environment. Through the choreography of the combat, the naumachia had the ability to represent historical or pseudo-historical themes. Each of the fleets participating represented a maritime power of Ancient Greece or the Hellenistic east: Egyptians and the Tyrians for Caesar's naumachia , Persians and Athenians for that of Augustus, Sicilians and Rhodeans for that of Claudius. It required significantly greater resources than other such entertainments, and as such these spectacles were reserved for exceptional occasions, closely tied to celebrations of

11020-541: The sequel due to scheduling conflicts. Production was expected to begin in May 2023, with Ouarzazate , Morocco set as a filming location. Set construction began in the city in April. Filming began in June 2023 with additional filming locations planned for Malta , which stood-in for ancient Rome, and the United Kingdom over the following four months, with few early sequences being shot at Morocco before flying to Malta to shoot

11136-410: The sequel, but there were differing ideas for the story. Crowe had favoured a fantasy element in bringing Maximus back to life, while the studio were basing the film on Lucius as the son of Maximus and Lucilla. Scott also discussed the necessity of a more complex script with the corruption of Rome in the potential sequel. During this time, Nick Cave was commissioned to write a new draft of the script. It

11252-560: The shadow of the more emotional and ultimately superior original." Early reactions from the film's first screening at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles on October 18, 2024, were positive. Critics praised Scott's direction, the set pieces, battle sequences and Mescal's and Washington's performances, mentioning that Scott and Washington could be nominated for the Academy Awards , but a few felt the film lacked an "emotional punch" when compared to

11368-579: The site's proximity to the Mausoleum of Hadrian. Subsequent digs have revealed the complete site plan. It had bleachers (tiered stands for spectators) and the surface was about one sixth the size of the Augustan naumachia . In the absence of any texts, it has to be assumed that it was only used at the time of Trajan. Nevertheless, if late Roman Empire sources and persistence into the Middle Ages in terms of

11484-464: The societal conflict. In its classification of films by genre, the American Film Institute limits the genre to historical films such as Ben-Hur . However, film scholars such as Constantine Santas are willing to extend the label to science-fiction films such as 2001: A Space Odyssey and Star Wars . Lynn Ramey suggests that "Surely one of the hardest film genres to define is that of

11600-463: The truth about his biological father. Franzoni signed on as producer, alongside Douglas Wick and Walter Parkes . In December 2002, the film's plot was announced to include prequel events regarding the parentage of Lucius, as well as sequel events depicting the resurrection of Maximus, the main character of the original film. The producers and Russell Crowe , who portrayed Maximus, collaboratively and extensively researched ancient Roman beliefs regarding

11716-456: The two military fleets based at Misenum and at Ravenna . Lake Fucino was large enough that only part of it was needed, surrounded by pontoons, and there was room enough for the vessels to manoeuvre and ram each other. The naumachia of Claudius therefore truly reproduced naval combat. According to Sextus Julius Frontinus in De aquaeductu ( De aquis urbis Romæ , 11, 1-2: opus naumachiæ ),

11832-554: The water supply for the naumachia of Augustus was specially constructed, with the surplus used to water neighbouring gardens in the Trans Tiberim. This was the Aqua Alsietina aqueduct , remains of which have been found on the slopes of Janiculum (the "8th hill of Rome") below the monastery of San Cosimato . There are several theories as to the precise location of the site; the latest of which places it between Via Aurelia in

11948-543: The works of the Trojan War Cycle . In classical literature, epics are considered works focused on deeds or journeys of heroes upon which the fate of many people depends. Similarly, films described as "epic" typically take a historical character, or a mythic heroic figure. Common subjects of epics are royalty , gladiators , great military leaders, or leading personalities from various periods in world history. However, there are some films described as "epic" almost solely on

12064-562: The world, such as India where it's flourishing Bollywood industry produced the landmark Mughal-E Azam (1960), which is widely considered as one of the greatest films of all time and a milestone in Asian epics. This boom period of international co-productions is generally considered to have ended with Cleopatra (1963), The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964) and Doctor Zhivago (1965). Nevertheless, films in this genre continued to appear, with one notable example being War and Peace , which

12180-653: Was Gone with the Wind (1939), also an epic, with ten awards. Naumachia The naumachia (in Latin naumachia , from the Ancient Greek ναυμαχία / naumachía , literally "naval combat") in the Ancient Roman world referred to both the staging of naval battles as mass entertainment, and the basin or building in which this took place. The first known naumachia was given by Julius Caesar in Rome in 46 BC on occasion of his quadruple triumph . After having

12296-530: Was 400 by 600 yards, which was created straddling the Tiber. Res Gestæ (§ 23) claimed that 3000 men, not counting rowers, fought in 30 vessels with rams and several smaller boats. In 52 AD, Claudius gave what was possibly the most "epic" of these on a natural body of water, Fucine Lake , to celebrate the completion of drainage work and tunneling on the site. It included one hundred ships and 19,000 combatants, all of whom were prisoners who had been condemned to death. Suetonius' account, written many years after

12412-500: Was a former slave who won his freedom in the Colosseum. Ravi shows Lucius the gladiators' shrine to Maximus, which preserves Maximus's sword and armor. Lucilla and Acacius conspire with senators Thraex and Gracchus to overthrow the emperors and restore the Roman Republic . Acacius also agrees to rescue Lucius from slavery. However, Thraex, who owes Macrinus money, informs him of the coup attempt. To gain imperial favor, Macrinus advises

12528-712: Was for Mescal when he found out his character's relationship with the original's protagonist. On the first day of the 2024 NFL season , Paramount Pictures and Pepsi announced a campaign cross-promoting the film with the soft drink's sponsorship of the National Football League . A series of advertisements featured football stars Josh Allen , Derrick Henry , Justin Jefferson , and Travis Kelce as "Gridiron Gladiators", with Megan Thee Stallion appearing as Empress Megan. On October 4, 2024, Japanese professional wrestling promotion New Japan Pro-Wrestling announced that

12644-406: Was later revealed to be written under the working title of " Christ Killer ". Cave described the plot as a "deities vs. deity vs. humanity" story. The story involved Maximus in purgatory , who is resurrected as an immortal warrior for the Roman gods . Maximus is sent back to Earth and tasked with ending Christianity by killing Jesus and his disciples , as Christianity was draining the power of

12760-473: Was not conducive to large combats involving many untrained prisoners, or would have required over-simplification of naval combats, leading to a preference for single combat. In this form, and with a dedicated site, naumachiae could easily have continued (though likely at a reducing frequency) for several centuries without mention in sources, as they would not have been particularly worthy of mention: they simply lost their grandeur and impressive character. In

12876-405: Was once a slave during the rule of Aurelius, vowing to avenge himself upon Rome by becoming emperor and ending the imperial dynasty . Macrinus manipulates Caracalla into killing Geta. After Caracalla bizarrely names his pet monkey as a consul , Macrinus persuades the Senate to overthrow him. He also convinces Caracalla to use Lucilla as bait in the Colosseum, with only Lucius defending her against

12992-448: Was released in the former Soviet Union during 1967–1968. Epic films continue to be produced, although since the development of CGI they typically use computer effects instead of an actual cast of thousands. Since the 1950s, such films have regularly been shot with a wide aspect ratio for a more immersive and panoramic theatrical experience. Epic films were recognized in a montage at the 2006 Academy Awards . The enduring popularity of

13108-466: Was released on July 26, 2024. Jennifer Ouellette of Ars Technica said the trailer indicated the film "promises to be just as much of a visual feast, as a new crop of power players (plus a couple of familiar faces) clash over the future of Rome". Rather than using an orchestral score, the first trailer used " No Church in the Wild " by Jay-Z and Kanye West , which caused a backlash among film fans who said it

13224-418: Was rewriting the script. Scott stated in a 2023 interview that they had struggled for 10 months to write the script four years previously, until they revisited the idea of Lucius as the "survivor" of the original film. According to Scott, the premise for the sequel began with the emperors Caracalla and Geta . He said, "After Commodus 's death, there was a scramble for the chair, and out of that eventually came

13340-416: Was the daughter of Marcus Aurelius and the wife of Lucius Verus. One of their sons was named Lucius Verus. There is no historical record of a Roman general named Marcus Acacius. The Roman co-emperors Geta and Caracalla were of mixed Italic , Arab and Punic North African , but the actors who played them are not. In September 2024, Scott revealed that he was developing a script for a third film, and that

13456-452: Was too modern of a song choice. Some justified this choice of music by citing the trailer for the first Gladiator which had used " Bawitdaba " by Kid Rock . Screen Rant criticized how the second trailer spoiled the plot twist of Maximus being Lucius's father; while a common fan theory since the first film's release, Adam Bentz found it questionable to reveal in a trailer, as it could have been emotionally impactful for audiences like it

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