Gladiator 2 releases new trailer adding more context to the upcoming film

One of the most anticipated films yet to release this year is Gladiator 2, starring Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Denzel Washington, Joseph Quinn, and Connie Nielsen. Considered a sequel to the legendary and award-winning Gladiator from 2000, it seems the classic tale of revenge is returning.

Although the official trailer was released two months ago and gained 17 million views on YouTube, audiences seemed torn, with some excited to see the story continue and others confused as to why a sequel was necessary (let alone the choice of trailer music received plenty of backlash). But what did the new trailer bring?

What happens in the new Gladiator 2 trailer?

For one, it's setting up a story that many were already piecing together from the first trailer. Mescal's character Lucius is confirmed to be the son of Lucilla and Maximus (Russell Crowe).

Maximus does indeed get his revenge in Gladiator but at the cost of his life. Will the same befall on Lucius?

He too appears to lose his wife and possibly children at the hands of the powerful Roman army led by General Marcus Acacius (Pascal). But is Marcus your run-of-the-mill historical film villain or are there more layers to the man behind the armor?

In order for Lucius to enact his revenge he'll need the help of Macrinus (Washington), who appears to buy Lucius and intends to use him to accomplish his goals of stealing power from the two Emperors Geta (Quinn) and Caracalla (Fred Hechinger). The emperors, unfortunately, appear to be the more often portrayed cruel and possibly psychotic rulers of the Roman Empire.

As Lucius becomes a gladiator and fights his way through other competitors (both man and animal), including water battle reenactments, his final battle may be against Marcus himself, which does bode well for the General and Lucilla (Nielsen). Like the first trailer, the setting, and theming are everything.

Audiences' eyes will follow the vibrant backgrounds, costumes, and overall setting as often as the actors themselves, which proves that this film will look glorious on the big screen (watching the trailer alone in theaters proved as much). Considering Hollywood has been suffering from a lack of original stories to draw in crowds like it used to, there is no doubt in my mind that Gladiator 2 will bring forth such crowds in droves.

Ancient history films has been sparse, which means Gladiator 2 might just bring about the resurgence we didn't know we needed. You can watch the new Gladiator 2 trailer below and make your own assessment.

However, this fan of not just the cast but the time period itself will be seated and ready to cheer, cry, and be captivated by a time long ago but not forgotten. Gladiator 2 arrives in theaters on November 22.

What are your predictions for Gladiator 2? Will you be watching this film in theaters?