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Early Gladiator 2 footage shows Paul Mescal charged by rhino, baboons, and Pedro Pascal

Paul Mescal versus a rhino? Yes, please.

Russel Crowe in Gladiator — Image credit: Paramount

News by Tiffany Babb, Contributing writer

Published on Thu Apr 11 2024

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It's been 24 years since Sir Ridley Scott's Gladiator hit theaters, launching Russell Crowe into Hollywood stardom. Now, Ridley Scott is back with a long-awaited sequel, promising just as much spectacle and violence (and fires and destruction) as the original.

Paramount debuted some early footage from Gladiator 2 at CinemaCon, and it is just as dramatic and exciting as fans of Scott's movies would expect. Paul Mescal stars in the film as Lucius, who finds himself (literally) in the center of all of the action as he gets into bloody battles and actually faces down a rhinoceros. (For those interested, it's not just rhinos that the gladiators in this film will have to face... I peeped a shark, murderous baboons, and possibly an alligator too.)

In a parallel storyline, we see the white-robed and privileged Pedro Pascal struggle with the whims of a bloodthirsty emperor (Joseph Quinn).

Though we did see Denzel Washington show up quite a bit in the footage, we still don't quite know exactly who his character is or what role his character will play. Paul Mescal's character even asks him "Who are you?" - though it may be worth noting that Washington's character does seem somewhat interested in the downfall of Rome.

Now whether Rome will fall due to Washington's machinations or to Pedro Pascal's own actions, we will have to wait to see when Gladiator 2 hits theaters on November 22, 2024.

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