‘Gladiator II’ New Trailer: Russell Crowe Returns in an Unexpected Way as Paul Mescal’s Paternity Is Revealed

Joseph Quinn, Pedro Pascal, and Denzel Washington co-star in Ridley Scott's epic sequel.

Russell Crowe may not be in “Gladiator II,” but his late character Maximus has been revealed at last to be the father of Paul Mescal‘s lead Lucius.

The latest trailer for Ridley Scott’s highly-anticipated epic sequel has confirmed that Crowe’s Maximus fathered Lucius with Lucilla (Connie Nielsen), as long suspected. Lucius is the nephew of Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) who was killed by Russell Crowe’s Maximus; the character is also the grandson of Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris). Maximus died in “Gladiator.”

Spencer Treat Clark played Lucius in the 2000 feature.

“Gladiator II” is set 20 years after the events of the first film. Joseph Quinn, Pedro Pascal, and Denzel Washington co-star.

The official synopsis reads: “From legendary director Ridley Scott, ‘Gladiator II’ continues the epic saga of power, intrigue, and vengeance set in Ancient Rome. Years after witnessing the death of the revered hero Maximus at the hands of his uncle, Lucius (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.”

Scott’s “Napoleon” screenwriter David Scarpa penned the script. Scott’s original “Gladiator” collaborators, costume designer Janty Yates and production designer Arthur Max, are returning to the franchise. Scott Free President Michael Pruss, plus Doug Wick and Lucy Fisher via Red Wagon Entertainment, are producing.

The film is executive produced by Walter Parkes, Laurie MacDonald, Raymond Kirk, and Aidan Elliott.

“Gladiator II” star Mescal told Entertainment Weekly that he was shocked to learn that Lucius was the son of Maximus.

“Oh, absolutely. I was like, ‘Holy shit,'” Mescal said. “It’s an affronting thing to see it written on the page, and [to have] that responsibility fall on your shoulders is interesting. The screenplay does a lot of that work for you in terms of the rubbing the dirt between the hands, the kind of DNA, and the genetics that Lucius inherits. So I kind of tried to park that to one side because ultimately, where Lucius is coming from at the start of the film, he has a very different journey than Maximus does. And I was hoping that whatever DNA and even just the physical gestures was going to be one part of, and a kind of small part of, the performance. But then what I tried to do is figure out exactly who Lucius was and where those differences lay between Lucius and Maximus.””

Mescal previously told Esquire that he was “stressed” about the sequel since it’s the “biggest” film he’s ever starred in. He added that director Scott “pays homage” to the first “Gladiator,” clearly with the Crowe reference.

“I can’t tell you how stressed I am talking about that film in particular, because it’s definitely the biggest one I’ve done,” Mescal said. “I feel really excited, but, like, it’s difficult to get away from the legacy of the film a bit. I think it’s really well written and it pays homage to the first one, but it’s very much something that I think I can step into and make comfortably my own.”

“Gladiator 2” premieres November 22 in theaters. Check out the trailer below.