Gladiator 2 is ‘total Hollywood bullshit’, says historian

One of the biggest cinema releases in 2024, which hits Brazilian cinemas on November 14th, Gladiator 2 was described as “total bullshit from Hollywood” by historian Dr. Shadi Bartschteacher at University of Chicago and author of several books on Ancient Romea period portrayed in the production directed by Ridley Scott and starring Paul Mescal (Lucius).

An article published in The Hollywood Reporter last Wednesday, the 30th, tries to separate the historical precision of the epic from the more megalomaniacal sequences, such as the use of sharks in a Coliseum flooded. “I don’t think the Romans knew what a shark was,” she said, explaining how naval battles were fought in arenas.

Furthermore, Shadi Bartsch also talked about the use of rhinos in Coliseum. In 80 AD, a poem told “of a rhinoceros throwing a bull into the sky.” According to the professor, there is no evidence that gladiators rode rhinos.

She also spoke of a scene from Gladiator 2 with a Roman nobleman drinking tea in a cafe while reading the newspaper. Second Bartschthat would be an anachronism, because the printing press would only be invented 1,200 years later.

They had daily news – Acta Diuma – but they were recorded and placed in certain locations. You had to go, you couldn’t do that in a cafe. Plus they didn’t have cafes!

Then, The Hollywood Reporter got in touch with Ridley Scott to talk about this subject. In response, the director argued how historical criticism doesn’t bother him about this film: “By the time you get to 2024, it’s all speculation.”