The release of the new trailer has generated a huge response, even though it suggests the sequel starring Paul Mescal may closely follow the original. It's a "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" approach that could succeed.

“The general who became a slave. The slave who became a gladiator. The gladiator who defied an empire. From director Ridley Scott…” You could almost overlay the voiceover from the original Gladiator trailer onto the new one, and it would still be fitting.

The plot of the 2000 film can be summed up as “A Roman unjustly disgraced uses his skills in the gladiatorial arena to seek revenge on those who wronged him.” Based on what we’ve seen, this also seems to apply to Gladiator II, set for release in November.

Despite the fact that the new film appears to echo the original, its trailer sparked immense excitement when released on Tuesday. Fans flooded social media with praise, declaring, “This is cinema,” in a nod to a popular meme. This enthusiasm is undoubtedly fueled by the Oscar-winning success of the original.

Russell Crowe, in his iconic role, was exceptional. The action scenes were relentless and visceral, the dialogue instantly quotable. Even those who don’t remember the entire movie likely recall lines like “Are you not entertained?”, “What we do in life echoes in eternity,” and “At my signal, unleash hell.” Movie lovers can effortlessly recite Maximus’s “My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius…” speech at a moment’s notice.

A Nod to a Different Era

But there’s more driving the anticipation for the sequel: nostalgia for an older style of filmmaking. As audiences tire of superhero-saturated screens, Gladiator II harks back to an earlier blockbuster era. The once-dominant “sword and sandal” genre may have reached its peak with Spartacus in 1960, but there’s a renewed appetite for it. A major 10-part series titled Those About To Die, set in Ancient Rome and starring Anthony Hopkins and Iwan Rheon, premieres on Peacock next week. Denzel Washington, also starring in Gladiator II, is set to feature in a Netflix film about Hannibal, the Carthaginian who challenged Rome.

Dr. David Butterfield, editor of the Classics website Antigone, told the BBC, “Whether or not Gladiator II repeats the original plot, the excitement for a sequel shows just how much modern audiences are drawn to exploring such a fascinating civilization, whose similarities and differences from our own era are both striking and enlightening.”

He continued, “The 2000 release of Gladiator marked a cultural shift, sparking a renewed interest in Ancient Rome. It not only brought to life the empire that shaped much of Western history but also reintroduced complex themes like the relationship between imperial power and the populace, and Stoic philosophy.”

Director Ridley Scott is famously less concerned with historical accuracy. When historian Dan Snow pointed out inaccuracies in Scott’s recent film Napoleon, Scott suggested he “Get a life,” telling The Times, “When I have issues with historians, I ask: ‘Excuse me, mate, were you there?’”

However, Butterfield notes that two striking visuals in the new trailer—the flooding of the Colosseum to stage a sea battle and the introduction of a rhinoceros in a gladiatorial fight—are actually based on historical events. 2025

“While some academics enjoy pointing out inaccuracies in historical fiction like this, the reality is that large-budget films like Gladiator II are often the public’s first exposure to the ancient world, where historical education is severely lacking,” he explains.

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