Gladiator 2: What if Denzel Washington invited himself into Maximus’ world?

After collaborating on American Gangster in 2007, Ridley Scott and Denzel Washington were able to find themselves. Indeed, according to Deadline and Variety , the actor is in final negotiations to join Gladiator 2 , which is slated for a November 22, 2024 release in the US. If the deal goes through, the legendary, two-time Oscar-winning comedian will join new Oscar nominees confirmed for the project, Paul Meskell and Barry Keoghan, who are in talks.

Produced by, among others, Ridley Scott and Michael Prus (president of Scott Free Productions), the as-yet-untitled sequel will benefit from a script written by David Scarpa and tell the story of Lucius, Lucilla’s son. Ex-girlfriend of Maximus (played by Connie Nielsen in the original) and sister of Commodus. While we know Paul Mescal will play Lucius, Barry Keoghan is in talks to play Emperor Geta. Denzel Washington’s role is being kept under wraps.

In 2000, Gladiator left an indelible mark on the world of cinema and was nominated for 12 Academy Awards, winning five, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Russell Crowe. Grossing $460 million at the box office, the original film starred Russell Crowe as Maximus Decimus Meridius, an enslaved Roman soldier seeking revenge on the man responsible for his misfortune, the dreaded Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix).

Scott and Washington reunited

Among his latest projects, we can see Denzel Washington in The Tragedy of Macbeth in 2022, a drama for which he received his ninth Oscar nomination as an actor – he received a total of 10, including one as a producer for Fences. He will next be seen in the upcoming Equalizer 3, which hits theaters on August 30, 2023.

News that the actor may be joining the Ridley Scott sequel comes as no surprise given the public and critical success of their first collaboration, American Gangster, which also starred Russell Crowe and grossed more than $265 million at the box office, but also received Golden Globe and SAG Award nominations on the side.

Denzel Washington also appeared in several films directed by Ridley’s late brother Tony Scott before his death in 2012, including USS Alabama, Man on Fire, Deja Vu, Attack on Subway 123 and Unstoppable.

While you wait to find out more and discover his role in this long-awaited sequel, you can watch The First Gladiator on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.