The number of movies that can match Ridley Scott’s period epic piece Gladiator in earnings and the number of Academy Awards won make for a very short list. Sure, it’s not the highest-grossing movie ever made, nor the most rewarded. But a reasonable combination of these two metrics (on top of everything else that’s great about the movie) makes it stand out as a cinematic masterpiece. So, it’s quite reasonable that the news of its sequel, which is scheduled to release later this year, has set the internet on fire.
Director Ridley Scott has already shared plenty of details regarding the upcoming movie. Gladiator 2 will look a bit different from the original, which isn’t all that surprising considering that the original Gladiator was released more than two decades ago. But what added fuel to the already raging fires burning was the news of Denzel Washington’s involvement with the movie. The Malcolm X star is supposed to portray one of the major roles in the upcoming movie, replacing Russell Crowe’s Maximus Decimus Meridius.
For those who haven’t seen the original Gladiator, Russell Crowe portrayed Maximus Decimus Meridius, a Hispano Roman legatus cast into slavery by Emperor Marcus Aurelius’ son Commodus, who secretly murdered his own father and took control of the empire. The movie then goes on about Maximus’ rise to prominence in the arena, his vengeance, and his death, which also means that Crowe won’t reprise his role in the sequel. Instead, Denzel Washington will replace the A Beautiful Mind actor as one of the main characters in the upcoming sequel.
Gladiator 2 will take place 20 years following the events of Gladiator, revolving around Paul Mescal’s Lucius Verus, Commodus’s nephew whom Rusell Crowe’s Maximus saved in the original Gladiator. Denzel Washington’s role, on the other hand, was kept under tight wraps ever since the news of his involvement hit the web, up to the point at which Ridley Scott himself spilled the beans and revealed details regarding Washington’s role.
Namely, Washington’s character is an ex-gladiator who had won his freedom and has now amassed vast wealth and climbed the social ladder. Roman military conquests were massive, and they often spanned different continents. There had to be arms dealers at the time who would supply weapons, wagons, horses, oils, and wine, and Denzel Washington’s character is just that: an ex-gladiator turned arms dealer who supplies Romans with catapults and siege weapons. He also has a stable of 30 or 40 gladiators — who were often enslaved or employed as fighters in the arena.
Scott also stated that Washington’s character likes gladiatorial combat, as it reminds him of his own personal journey, which began with his capture in North Africa and his personal evolution from an enslaved gladiator to a free man, fueled by his combat prowess in the arena. However, he now holds actual power — since his work made him wealthier than most senators — and harbors thoughts and designs of taking more power from two co-emperors, Caracalla and Geta. And that’s about everything Ridley Scott has shared regarding Denzel Washington’s role in the upcoming Gladiator 2.
This means that we’ll have to wait and see if Washington’s character bears any additional similarities to Crowe’s Maximus. Washington has previously starred in numerous big-budget films that were massive box office hits, and some have even earned him various awards. But the upcoming Gladiator 2 is poised to become one of the biggest roles in his career, considering that the original is regarded as one of the best historical epic movies ever made. However, this is pure speculation at this point, and only time will tell whether we’re right.
In the meantime, it’s worth mentioning that the upcoming Gladiator 2 isn’t the first time Denzel Washington had collaborated with Ridley Scott, nor is it the first time he has replaced Russell Crowe. It’s not even the only movie set in Ancient Rome that he has lined up. All three Hollywood A-listers — we’re referring to Scott, Crowe, and Washington, have previously worked on the biographical crime drama American Gangster. This movie admittedly wasn’t as successful as the original Gladiator, but it certainly isn’t a negligible piece of cinema — in fact, it had 38 nominations and 12 wins.
Then, seven years later, the audiences received The Equalizer, a movie that starred Washington as a retired US Marine and DEA agent-turned-vigilante — the role that was originally supposed to go to Russell Crowe. It’s still unclear why the role was passed from Russell Crowe to Denzel Washington, but the move resulted in a relatively successful trilogy that features Washington in all three movies. Lastly, the Fallen star is also set to appear in the upcoming movie about Hannibal the Conqueror, where he’s set to play the leading role.
Sadly, any further details regarding Denzel Washington’s role in the upcoming Gladiator 2 remain undisclosed, but it’s quite obvious that his star power is expected to be a big draw for both Gladiator 2 and the Hannibal movie. Is it possible that even movie directors think about the Roman Empire that often?