Gladiator 2 trailer reveals Lucius' true father, and we're intrigued

The sequel will star Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn and Connie Nielsen.

Gladiator 2's trailer has just dropped, and wow.

Though another trailer for the new movie arrived earlier this year, the latest clip from Paul Mescal's upcoming film reveals a lot of details about the film that we didn't have before.

In the trailer, we learn that Mescal’s character Lucius is in fact the son of Maximus (Russell Crowe in the first film), and not Lucius Verus I, despite being told otherwise since birth.

In the clip, Lucius’s mother Lucilla (Connie Nielsen) supports Mescal's character ahead of a battle, saying “Take your father’s strength, his name was Maximus, and I see him in you.”

The sequel revisits Rome many years after the original movie, with many battles and family dramas to sift through. With a star-studded cast and another seriously dramatic story, could this be the role that wins Paul Mescal his Oscar? We'll have to wait until 2025 to find out.

In the meantime, here's everything we know about Gladiator 2 so far, including the new trailer.

Gladiator 2 plot

Paul Mescal will play Lucius, son of Lucilla and the nephew of Gladiator antagonist Commodus, played by Joaquin Phoenix. For the uninitiated, Gladiator star Russell Crowe played Maximus, who saves Lucilla and Lucius' lives in the original film.

While he was brought up out of reach of the Roman Empire, after his peaceful home city is invaded Lucius decides to return to Rome, where he decides to become a gladiator. He finds that his mother Lucilla is in love with General Marcus Acacius (played by Pedro Pascal), an enemy he ends up fighting. Sounds like things get rather complicated within this family. Lucius must also contend with twin emperors Emperor Geta (Joseph Quinn) and Emperor Caracalla.

We also know that Paul got the nickname “Brick Wall Paul” after bulking up so much for the role. “He got so strong. I would rather be thrown from a building than have to fight him again,” Pedro Pascal said in an interview with Vanity Fair. “To go up against somebody that fit and that talented and that much younger… It’s brutal, man.”

Joseph Quinn also spoke to GQ about the sheer scale of Gladiator 2's production, including the amount of cameras rolling for a single scene. “I was like, ‘Eight cameras?’ and he’s like, ‘You gotta know where to f**king put ’em,’ ” he said. “Clearly, he does."

“The set of Gladiator II is a wonder to bear witness to,” he added. “You know that Rutger Hauer speech at the end of Blade Runner? ‘I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe’ — that’s what it felt like, just seeing it all.”

Gladiator 2 cast

Joining Paul Mescal will be Pedro Pascal, Stranger Things star Joseph Quinn, Denzel Washington, Derek Jacobi, Fred Hechinger, May Calamawy, Tim McInnerny, Alexander Karim and Rory McCann.

Most interestingly, Connie Nielsen will reprise her Gladiator role as Lucilla.

Gladiator 2 release date

It will be released in UK cinemas on 15 November.

Gladiator 2 trailer

You can watch the new Gladiator 2 trailer below:

And in case you're craving more Gladiator 2 content ahead of its release (we don't blame you), here's the earlier promotional trailer for the new film: