The first trailer for Gladiator II has been released.

Gladiator II is the sequel to Ridley Scott's Academy Award-winning Gladiator (2000), which starred Russell Crowe. Scott is returning to direct. David Scarpa, who wrote Scott's previous two films All the Money in the World (2017) and Napoleon (2023), has written the sequel.

Connie Nielson is also reprising her role of Lucilla, the tormented sister of Emperor Commodus. She is also the mother of Lucius Verus, once heir to the throne.

Paul Mescal, best known for his roles in Aftersun (2022) and All of Us Strangers (2023), plays a now-adult Lucius. In the new film, set fifteen years after the events of Gladiator, Lucius is estranged from his mother having been sent away to the region of Numidia for his protection. The trailer depicts the siege of Numidia, an event that sparks Lucius' journey to become a gladiator.

Additionally, Pedro Pascal stars as General Marcus Acacius, who leads the assault. Trained under the leadership of Crowe's character Maximus Decimas, Pascal's Marcus wrestles with Maximus' same disdain for the vanity and bloodlust of Roman rulers. The trailer also hints at a romance between Marcus and Lucilla.

Gladiator II also stars Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger as the young co-emperors Geta and Caracalla respectively. Denzel Washington stars as a gladiator and slave owner Macrinus, while Derek Jacobi returns to his role from the first film as Senator Gracchus. Tim McInnerny, Alexander Karim, and Matt Lucas also feature.

The trailer's release follows the first looks at images from the new film, which were released yesterday.

After some years of development trouble, a sequel to Gladiator was officially announced in 2018. Filming began last summer and was temporarily suspended during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strikes.

Gladiator II is released in UK cinemas on 15th November 2024.