Summary
Gladiator IIfeatures Paul Mescal as the lead character, begging the question of whether he was in the first movie or is an original creation for the sequel. When it was announced that a sequel toGladiatorwas in production, many were unsure of how this would be possible. The first movie centered so heavily on the titulargladiator Maximus Decimus Meridiusand the events that led to his death that queries about who would lead the second movie have been raised since its confirmation.
Since then, however, moreupdates aboutGladiator II’s casthave been announced. The myriad casting announcements forGladiator IIconfirmed that the main stars of the movie include Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, Denzel Washington, the returning Connie Nielsen, and Paul Mescal. Alongside comments from returning director Ridley Scott himself,Gladiator II’s trailerconfirmed that the latter will be the central character of the story and provided the answer as to whether he is connected to the legend of Maximus.
Paul Mescal’s Lucius Was In Gladiator 1 - His Character Explained
Lucius Verus Was Present In The Story Of Maximus
InGladiator II, Paul Mescal will portray Lucius Verus from the first movie. InGladiator, Lucius is the child of Nielsen’s Lucilla and is one of the central characters in the movie. Lucius strikes up a friendship with Maximus early in the film before becoming co-Emperor of Rome alongside his conniving uncle, Joaquin Phoenix’s Commodus. Toward the end ofGladiator, Lucius is present in the Colosseum when Maximus confronts Commodus. He watches as Commodus and Maximus are both killed, leading into the events ofGladiator II.
Paul Mescal’s Lucius In Gladiator 2 Explained: Sequel Plot, Recasting & True Story
As the main character of Gladiator 2, Paul Mescal’s Lucius has been given quite a bit of attention in new images and interviews for the epic sequel.
What Happened To Lucius After Gladiator?
Lucius' Story Between Gladiator & Gladiator II Has Been Hinted At
InGladiator II, Lucius is evidently much older than the young child shown at the end ofGladiator.Concerning what he has been through since then, some answers have been provided by director Ridley Scott and star Paul Mescal. The former was interviewed byRotten Tomatoesduring the press tour forNapoleon,during which he was asked about Mescal’s character. Scott was initially hesitant to reveal that Mescal was playing Lucius before admitting to it after a set leak confirmed this and explained that the film takes place around 12–15 years afterGladiator.
Scott went on to say that Lucius, since the first movie, has lost contact with his mother. Lucilla believes that Lucius is dead, with Scott explaining that he has been living"out in the wilderness.“A further insight into the movie was provided byVanity Fair, in which it is revealed that Lucius has been living in the town of Numidia on the northwest coast of Africa. Lucius was sent there by Lucilla to allow him to grow up without the shadow of the Roman Empire, butGladiator II’s trailer proves Mescal’s Lucius once more is embroiled in war and gladiatorial combat.
Pedro Pascal’s Acacius was trained by Russell Crowe’s Maximus but existed off-screen during the events of the first movie.
Further story details about Mescal’s Lucius are also found in theVFarticle. One other detail is that Lucius is married and has a child and that the family lived a relatively peaceful life before the Roman Empire attempts to expand. This expansion is led by Pascal’s General Marcus Acacius, causing the two characters to come to blows as seen inGladiator II’s trailer. Mescal explained that Acacius is a symbol of everything Lucius detests, spearheading their rivalry that will propelGladiator II’s admittedly promising main plot.
Why Did Gladiator 2 Recast Lucius?
The Real-World Timeline Between Gladiator & Gladiator II Likely Caused Lucius' Recast
With Mescal portraying Lucius inGladiator II, the burning question will be why the character was recast. InGladiator, Lucius was portrayed by Spencer Treat Clark who is still working in the acting industry as of 2024. Recent credits for Clark include M. Night Shyamalan’sGlassandWeird: The Al Yankovic Story.However, there is a simple reason as to why Mescal was cast as Lucius rather than bringing back Clark that links to both real-world productions and in-universe reasoning.
Fred Hechinger
Co-emperor Caracalla
As Scott pointed out in the above interview,Gladiator IItakes place around 12–15 years after the first movie in which Lucius was 12 years old. However, the span betweenGladiatorandGladiator IIin real life is 24 years. As such, Clark is now 36 years old. Conversely, Mescal is younger at 28 years of age, meaning he matches the in-universe timeline for Lucius much more closely than Clark. This explains the recasting of the character inGladiator II, with Mescal continuing the legacy left behind by Maximus Decimus Meridius and Spencer Treat Clark.
Gladiator II
Cast
Gladiator 2 is the follow-up to Ridley Scott’s award-winning film Gladiator from 2000. Scott returns to direct the sequel, with Paul Mescal staring as Lucius, alongside Denzel Washington and Joseph Quinn as the villain Emperor Geta. Gladiator 2 had been stuck in development hell for years before a script written by David Scarpa finally moved forward.
