GLADIATOR 2 (2024): Budget for Sequel to 2000’s Blockbuster GLADIATOR Surpasses $300 Million

Ridley Scott’s Gladiator Sequel’s Budget Skyrockets

The budget of the upcoming sequel to the Oscar-winning 2000 film, Gladiator, has jumped up almost double from the original projected cost.

Paul Mescal may have gotten an Oscar nod for Best Actor for the indie gem, Aftersun, but Gladiator 2 will now test the actor’s bankability at the box-office. Gladiator 2, the latest from legendary filmmaker, Ridley Scott, is said to be currently carrying a price tag of $310 million. Thank goodness the cast also includes the always formidable Denzel Washington to help its financial prospects at the box-office. TV sensation Pedro Pascal is also on board and it’s yet to be seen how big a box-office draw Pascal could be. This new film should help Pascal’s exposure to the film world significantly.

Early footage of Gladiator 2 has impressed the higher-ups in Hollywood. But, its original $165 million budget has been buoyed by problems of things such as on-set accidents and alleged animal abuse. A stunt in the film had ended up sending four crew members to the hospital. Luckily, their injuries were deemed not “life-threatening.” Horses and monkeys were also alleged to be mistreated on the set as well but the news of the Humane Society’s presence on the set was quickly revealed to assure folks that was not the case.

Shutdown of the set during the strike also yielded a price tag of $600,000 per week which, perhaps, added significantly to the fact the film is going way over budget. Still. many expect the movie to be well worth the effort and a picture of epic proportions. This sequel has been in the works for decades and is one of the most eagerly awaited film sequels of all-time.

Mescal will play a new hero in the movie named Lucius Verus. It is highly anticipated that Mescal will play as well in the lead role as Russell Crowe did in the original movie. While Denzel Washington’s presence is certainly appreciated and Washington will, without a doubt, chew scenery, it is perhaps Mescal’s performance that viewers could be most focused on.

Gladiator 2 seems to be targeted for a November, 2024 release date. The budget should be clearly visible on screen as per your typical Ridley Scott movie. Last year, Napoleon proved to be one of the best-looking action movies but didn’t have the best box-office returns because some audiences were unable to relate to the lead characters. Still, it was a successful effort overall. Gladiator 2 stands to gross well over a billion dollars worldwide if it’s anywhere near as strong as the original Best Picture winner, Gladiator. While the original grossed less than half of that, the big budget is indicative that the new sequel will be, perhaps, bigger and (hopefully) even better.

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