New Gladiator 2 trailer reveals big spoiler about Paul Mescal’s Lucius

The new Gladiator 2 trailer has arrived, and while it’s missing another Kanye West track, there’s a huge namedrop that distinctly connects the two Ridley Scott movies.

Prior to the marketing of Gladiator 2, it was believed that Paul Mescal’s Lucius would somehow be the descendant of Russell Crowe’s Maximus from the original movie. However, as time went on, there was no mention of this potential family connection.

But now, the newest Gladiator 2 trailer released on September 23 finally confirms this theory. As Connie Nielson’s Lucilla tells Lucius, “Take your father’s strength. His name was Maximus, and I see him in you.”

So, it looks like Lucius will have to channel 2000’s Russell Crowe to defeat those in his gladiator ring.

That’s not all that’s revealed in the newest trailer for the action movie. We also learn more about the inner workings of Rome’s gladiator business, with Denzel Washington appearing to be playing games in order to climb his way up the ranks.

There’s also another look at Pedro Pascal as Marcus, complete with a new powerful voice as he tells a crowd, “I claim this city for the glory of Rome.”

And, of course, there’s more rhinos and ship battles, but there’s also a new fighter in the ring: monkeys. Ridley Scott has teased the epic nature of this particular man vs. beast fight, saying [via The New Yorker]: “Baboons are carnivores. Can you hang from that roof for two hours by your left leg? No! A baboon can.”

The latest trailer for the new movie has been successful at keeping the hype at an all-time high, with comments on X like: “Paul Mescal, shirtless, fighting a baboon, is just what I needed today.”

“Beyond seated for this. This looks insane,” said another. A third added: “I swear to god, chills, I got f**king chills.”

Gladiator 2 will be released in theaters on November 15 in the UK and November 22 in the US.

For more, check out our guide to the the best war movies of all time. You can also find out why Gladiator 2 might solve 2024’s biggest movie villain problem.