A full-scale model of the Colosseum, which was flooded and filled with longboats. The two-ton, eight-wheeled, life-sized rhinoceros can spin, roar, shake its head, and run up to 40 miles per hour. Ground beef, sweet potatoes, and personal training are all Paul Mescal can handle. Gladiator II, which opens in theaters next month 24 years after Ridley Scott’s blockbuster original, cost such a huge amount of money to make.
You might think such conspicuous spending would make studio executives sweat, especially after the disastrous run of another recent sequel, Joker: Folie à Deux, directed by Todd Phillippe. Considering the box office receipts, Hollywood is hopeful that the film will be a commercial success. It was a $1 billion hit in 2019, but is now rapidly moving to streaming and is expected to lose $200 million.
Stephen Gaydos, editor-in-chief of Variety magazine, said the headline-grabbing excesses of “Gladiator II” remain significant. “You can see the money on the screen,” he says. The opposite was true for Joker 2 . “If they had shot it for $80 million, they would have made a huge profit. Instead, they spent $200 million on two people singing in a room.”
Gaydos thinks this is the folly of the director and stars Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga, who were obsessed with making the movie they wanted instead of the movie the audience wanted. The Gladiator II, on the other hand, has been carefully tested and costed since its inception.
Denzel Washington as Macrinath. Photo: Photo credit: Cuba Scott/© 2024 Paramount Pictures
“There’s so much computer modeling and predictive analysis going on these days that Paramount pretty much knows what Gladiator will make,” Gaydos said. “If you cast certain stars in a movie (Denzel Washington and Pedro Pascal join Mezcal) and call it ‘Gladiator II,’ you’d make $750 million at the box office and have an awards season.” This means that the screening period will be extended, so let’s do it.”
Meanwhile, Mr. Scott, now an 86-year-old director, has few of the monopolistic indulgences of his peers like Francis Ford Coppola and Martin Scorsese, and has learned much about the work ethic and economics of his early days in advertising. maintains a sense of realism. (Killers of the Flower Moon grossed even less than Joker 2 on its $200 million budget.) Scott has enough confidence in the project that he’s already lined up for the next sequel. I’m writing a script.
Canny’s cost reductions also helped the deal. The majority of the film was shot in Malta and contributed to an EU record 47 million euros in tax refunds. Advantageous and strategic sponsorship alliances have also been implemented with Pepsi and New Japan Pro Wrestling.
Whatever the gamble was for Paramount, it seems almost certain to pay off. “The few people who have seen this movie so far are rather bullish about it,” Gaydos reports. “If it gets solid critical support, it’s definitely going to be a big hit.”
The template is Paramount’s 2022 blockbuster Top Gun: Maverick. Both films are the second in a long line of blockbusters by the Scott brothers (Tony Scott filmed Top Gun in 1986). Both are the same sweaty, muscled, macho, sad, eclectic characters who helped Tom Cruise’s films reach a final gross of $1.5 billion and garner six Oscar nominations, including Best Picture. It boasts charm.
Is his Oscar in the bag? … Ridley Scott and Mezcal in the making. Photo: Aidan Monaghan/AP
“‘Gladiator II’ will be a serious and legitimate contender in every major awards category,” Gaydos predicted, comparing Martin Scorsese to Best Director for 2007’s The Departed. I’m citing that. “Now it’s Ridley’s turn. He’s never won an award, but he’s clearly one of the greatest filmmakers in the history of cinema.”
Skip past newsletter promotions
Get a front row seat at the cinema with a weekly email packed with all the latest news and all the big movie action.
Privacy Notice: Newsletters may include information about charities, online advertising, and content sponsored by external parties. Please see our Privacy Policy for more information. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and are subject to the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.
After newsletter promotion
What we know about Gladiator II
Paul Mescal plays Russell Crowe’s son
All roads lead to Rome, and Gladiator II depicts a brave warrior forced into the arena to overthrow a powerless ruler. This time, it’s Lucius Verus II (Mezcal), who lived peacefully in North Africa until the conquistadors rushed him home. There, it is revealed that he is actually the exiled son of Empress Lucilla (Connie Nielsen), and that his father is not the late Emperor Lucius Verus I, but the stalwart martyr Maximus (Crowe). Masu.
Paul Mescal survives
Crowe may not have been so lucky, but Mescal’s character is definitely mortally wounded by swords and horns in Gladiator II, with director Scott likening the ending to that of The Godfather. I’m thinking, “Okay, Dad, what should I do?” So the next[movie]will be about a guy who doesn’t want to be where he is. ”
Russell Crowe is not in the cast.
There are flashbacks, but the new film appears to have a no-ghosting rule in place, with Russell Crowe neither involved nor consulted. Joaquin Phoenix, who was involved in a co-injury incident, will also not appear, and it seems unlikely that Oliver Reed will be revived for this event. But Derek Jacobi is back.
could have been quite different
The idea for a sequel has been brewing for over 20 years. One concept that has reached a fairly advanced stage of development is one called “The Christ Killer,” written by Nick Cave, in which Maximus is resurrected from purgatory and sent back to Earth to kill Jesus. It’s a thing. He then became involved in the Crusades, World War II, and Vietnam, before taking a job at the Department of Defense. Despite Crowe’s enthusiasm, the idea was ultimately rejected by the studio.
