Director Ridley Scott steps back into the arena with Gladiator II, the long-awaited follow-up to his record-breaking historical drama Gladiator. Mirroring real life, the story of Gladiator II picks up over 20 years after the events of the first movie and follows Lucius Verus, who was only a child in the original. Academy Award nominee (Aftersun) Paul Mescal plays Lucius in Gladiator II, and is ed by a cast which includes Pedro Pascal, Denzel Washington, and Fred Hechinger.
Not many actors from the first Gladiator returned for the follow-up film, but the cast arguably does include the one who matters most. Connie Nielsen reprised her role as Lucilla, the mother of Lucius Verus, and is a key player in the events of the sequel. In between her turns as Lucilla, Nielsen also featured in Wonder Woman, Basic, and One Hour Photo.
Why Gladiator 2 Won't Get An Extended Cut Explained By Director Ridley Scott
Director Ridley Scott shares his reasons for skipping an extended cut of the Gladiator 2, setting the film apart from other blockbusters.
ScreenRant spoke with Connie Nielsen about her return to Ridley Scott’s epic world of action, drama, and questionable historical accuracy. Nielsen spoke about her eagerness to reunite with Scott and the experience of walking back onto a Gladiator set. Nielsen even expressed her hopes for a Hippolyta return in James Gunn’s DC Comics universe.
Connie Nielsen Talks Reuniting With Ridley Scott & Continuing Lucilla’s Story In Gladiator II
The Actor Praised The Expanded Role Her Character Has In The Sequel
Screen Rant: I love that a couple of characters came back to bridge the time gap that's there. But the first Gladiator, almost 25 years ago, was absolutely incredible. Instant classic. It was the first DVDI ever bought. This one follows suit and it hits the same way. What was it about this new story of Gladiator II that convinced you it was the right time to reprise your role as Lucilla?
Connie Nielsen: Well, first of all, the opportunity to work with Ridley again was super important. And then there was this option of, “Oh my God!”, continuing telling the story of Lucilla. Especially because they told me nothing about what would happen to her in the beginning. They just said, “You will be happy, Connie.” And they know me, so when I then finally did read the script, I was like, “Yeah, I will be happy.” We then started that amazing process that it is to work with Ridley and the incredible team of hundreds of people that he has brought with him—even from the first one. Just walking into the arena on that first day back was an absolute surreal experience.
At the same time, also, I was so excited to tell the story of this woman who Ridley has set up to hold within herself a crumbling empire, a crumbling legacy of her father, the loss of a son, and—in the whole of it—this heart that's being loved by an amazing man called Pedro Pascal. And then [there’s] this moment where she finds her son again. These are incredible experiences and situations that Ridley set up for me. How could I be anything but excited?
In a world dominated by men, how does Lucilla navigate her existence to maintain influence and protect those she cares about?
Connie Nielsen: The way people who are repressed and have been repressed throughout history have done. That is, [with] the knowledge that the internal integrity of every human being is essential. Whatever we call power out there is Fata Morgana. It does not exist. The real power is in you as a human and that integrity of that human self and the freedom to pursue that, whether it's even through the loss of life… that is what is power.
She knows that and she keeps that personal integrity even as she's being used as a hostage, a golden hostage, to sort of legitimize these completely illegitimate rulers. She knows that the future is freedom and that the only type of legitimacy lies in mutual respect and the respect for a certain type of values that these people do not have, and that is her power. No one can vanquish that.
Nielsen Hopes To Reprise Her Role As Hippolyta In James Gunn’s DCU
“I Certainly Hope … That I’m In It”
Another strong character that you play is Wonder Woman's mom, the queen of Themyscira. We know this Amazon show is coming, that James Gunn is doing, that's a prequel to Wonder Woman. Have you talked to James Gunn at all about reprising that role and bringing that world back?
Connie Nielsen: I absolutely would love to talk to him. We think it would be a great idea to do so. The fans totally loved the whole Themyscira chapter. People went nuts about it worldwide. To not create that again and continue that legacy would seem like a terrible loss, and so I certainly hope that they will do that, and that I'm in it.
More About Gladiator II (2024)
Gladiator 2 is the follow-up to Ridley Scott's award-winning film Gladiator from 2000. Scott returns to direct the sequel, with Paul Mescal starring as Lucius, alongside Denzel Washington and Joseph Quinn as the villain Emperor Geta.
Check out our other Gladiator II interviews here:
Catch Gladiator II in theaters starting November 22.
Source: Screen Rant Plus
Gladiator II
- Release Date
- November 22, 2024
- Runtime
- 148 minutes
- Director
- Ridley Scott
Cast
Lucius Verus
Marcus Acacius
WHERE TO WATCH
Gladiator 2 is the follow-up to Ridley Scott's award-winning film Gladiator from 2000. Scott returns to direct the sequel, with Paul Mescal staring as Lucius, alongside Denzel Washington and Joseph Quinn as the villain Emperor Geta. Gladiator 2 had been stuck in development hell for years before a script written by David Scarpa finally moved forward.
- Writers
- David Scarpa, Peter Craig, David Franzoni
- Studio(s)
- Paramount Pictures, Universal Pictures, Scott Free Productions, Red Wagon Entertainment
- Distributor(s)
- Paramount Pictures
- Main Genre
- Adventure
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