GLADIATOR 2 (2024): Derek Jacobi Reprises Role in Ridley Scott Sequel

Derek Jacobi reprises his role as imperial senator in Gladiator 2

Derek Jacobi, who set the gold standard for screen emperors, reprises his role as a sneaky senator in Gladiator 2.

The news that Ridley Scott is filming a sequel to his 2000 blockbuster Gladiator is something of a head scratcher. Certainly from the standpoint of financial risk, a followup makes sense. After all, Gladiator made a ton of cash, and garnered acclaim from critics (which turned out to be most of them) who didn’t give a single hoot or holler how far from historical facts it strayed, but instead faithfully followed in the frightful footsteps of its sibling blockbusters, Braveheart and Elizabeth.

Now it appears that Gladiator 2 will uphold that tradition. According to a reliable source, the plot now focuses on Lucilla and her son, Lucius Verus, and the co-emperors Geta and Caracalla are somewhere in the mix; these two are likely to bring up the train, considering they were the sons of Septimius Severus, fifth and last of ‘The Year of the Five Emperors.’ If imperial intrigue is to your taste, trust me, that year is a feast. The script has been under tight wraps, it is said, but just for the record:

FACT IS . . .

Fact is . . . Lucilla in fact did not survive her brother, but was exiled to Capri after her bungled assassination attempt on Commodus, who had her executed there soon afterward.

Fact is . . . Lucius Verus died long before his mother’s exile of some early childhood illness, along with an older sister.

Fact is . . . Since a little irony is good for the blood, Lucilla’s youngest son, Aurelius Pompeianus, did survive to adulthood and achieved military distinction enough to be a threat to Caracalla, who personally killed him off as a possible rival. (Enough dramatic story thread here to hope that this event appears in the story.)

APOLOGIA

With respect to historical film and TV epics, at least some license is unavoidable, and usually understandable, even for purists among us (like myself). That said, there’s every reason to expect Gladiator 2 will be every bit as enjoyable on its own terms as its predecessor, for good reason.

Regardless of recent controversies, citing Ridley Scott as among the cream of directors is no hyperbole, and that’s that. He has brought aboard cinematographer John Mathieson, whose work on Gladiator rightly earned him a nomination at the 73rd Academy Awards, and fellow nominee Arthur Max has also joined the team as production designer.

Finally, while Russell Crowe or Joaquin Phoenix won’t show up for obvious reasons, there are major compensations. The superb veteran actor — I Claudius himself — Derek Jacobi as Gracchus, the disloyal politician, is the thread connecting the original film. Connie Nielsen is also on hand again as Lucilla and Paul Mescal as the apocryphal grown-up Lucius Verus, both boasting roster of nominations of their own. Also, May Calamawy and Fred Hechinger have been recruited, along with Pedro Pascal, fresh from his triumph in The Last of Us.

So at the end of the day, considering the concerted talents on Team Gladiator 2, even the most quibbling member of the History Police might well be satisfied.

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Gladiator 2 will be released in U.S. theaters through Paramount Pictures on November 22, 2024. Want up-to-the-minute notifications? FilmBook staff members publish articles by Email, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, Pinterest, Reddit, and Flipboard. This news was brought to our attention by Variety.