Director Ridley Scott takes audiences back to ancient Rome for 'Gladiator Ⅱ'

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Director Ridley Scott takes audiences back to ancient Rome for 'Gladiator Ⅱ'

Published: 28 Oct. 2024, 16:31 Updated: 28 Oct. 2024, 16:31

KIM JI-YE
kim.jiye@joongang.co.kr

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

From left, actors Denzel Washington and Connie Nielsen, director Ridley Scott, actors Paul Mescal and Fred Hechinger attend an online video press conference for the upcoming film ″GladiatorⅡ" held for Korean reporters on Friday. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

The story from Ridley Scott’s iconic 2000 blockbuster hit “Gladiator” continues in the highly anticipated sequel, “Gladiator Ⅱ,” which premieres first in Korea on Nov. 13 before its wider release globally. The director promises audiences another epic journey back to the Roman Empire.

“Whilst this is under the banner of entertainment, I always looked for the actual historical accuracy in how people dressed, how buildings were built, how they lived, how they breathed. I need to smell the Rome of the period and we did that as we were preparing the film,” director Scott said during an online video press conference for local reporters held on Friday.

With Scott once again on director duties, the film is set 20 years after the death of the first film's hero, Maximus, and follows Lucius, grandson of former Emperor Marcus Aurelius, as he battles in the Colosseum for the fate of Rome. This time, Rome is ruled by tyrant brothers, Emperor Geta and Emperor Caracalla.

Despite the film being a fictitious story, Scott wanted to keep the atmosphere as close to Roman history as possible. “I always come from the reality into how I serve it as a film, and that's what's interesting because it's great when films are not only, let's say, engaging but also they are informative.”

A still from film ″Gladiator Ⅱ″ [LOTTE ENTERTAINMENT]

The film features Paul Mescal as Lucius, Denzel Washington as Macrinus, Connie Nielsen as Lucilla, Pedro Pascal as Marcus Acacius, as well as Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger playing emperors Geta and Caracalla, respectively.

The sequel comes to screens over two decades after the first film. The director commented on frequently being asked about when a sequel would come out.

“People ask, ‘Why is it taking so long?,’ and I said, ‘Have you ever tried to write a book or a screenplay? That's the most difficult thing to do,’” the director said. “So, taking a sequel is even more dangerous because people expect sequels always to be not as good as the first one.”

A still from film ″Gladiator Ⅱ″ [LOTTE ENTERTAINMENT]

Scott also said he “briefly” had a previous attempt at helming a sequel to the film but set it aside because the story written then was not “right.”

He later, however, revisited the story, saying, “I thought there has to be a footprint and the footprint was obvious: what happened to the two survivors. One was the mother and one was the son. That became the footprint of the story.”

One of the survivors, Lucius, the son, is played by Mescal. The actor said he never imagined being part of the team before.

“It was one of those things that was never really on the bingo cards for me or something that I never really thought would happen,” the actor said.

A still from film ″Gladiator Ⅱ″ [LOTTE ENTERTAINMENT]

“So, it was just at that moment, I felt like it was life-altering, and it has been as a result,” he added.

The actor spoke about having to bulk up for his role as a gladiator in the film.

“As we were kind of getting nearer to shooting with Ridley, I could feel Ridley just scanning me as the weeks were getting close,” Mescal said. “Literally, I was the biggest I'd ever been about two weeks before filming, and Ridley kind of grabbed my shoulder like, ‘You're nearly there.’”

Nielsen, who reprises her role as Lucilla from the first film, calls returning to the "Gladiator" universe a "gift." Her character helps bridge the story between the two films.

The cast of ″Gladiator Ⅱ″ pose for a phot. From left, Denzel Washington, Connie Nielsen, Paul Mescal and Fred Hechinger [LOTTE ENTERTAINMENT]

Actor Washington also praised the director for making a set so realistic that it enabled him to easily immerse himself into his role and the film’s time period.

“Scott built Rome in about a month,” Washington said. “Ridley gave me everything I needed to be alive and be a Roman and feel like I'm there.”

The cast and director showed their enthusiasm and love for the upcoming film.

“We absolutely adore [the film],” Mescal said. “See it on the biggest screen you can possibly see it on is my only recommendation.”

BY KIM JI-YE [kim.jiye@joongang.co.kr]