The very first pics of the highly anticipated film Gladiator 2 starring noted hot boy Paul Mescal and his thighs have hit the internet. Despite being someone who has never seen the original Gladiator, after seeing these pics, I assure you that I will be sat for Gladiator 2.
In some of the pics, our collective boyfriend is seen in a metal chest plate (hot) and a leather skirt (hot), looking particularly dirty (hot) and sweaty (hot) from a reshoot of a battle scene. His arms are tanned and beautifully sculpted and his tousled hair makes me want to scream.
After the battle scene was completed, the 28-year-old Normal People star had a cheeky cigarette before donning what can only be described as a dirty-looking tunic. In the scene, Mescal is papped with blood on his face climbing into what seems to be a prisoner transportation wagon situation.
For those not in the know, Gladiator 2 is the long-awaited sequel to the 2000 Ridley Scott film, starring Russell Crowe. While we don’t know a whole heap about the plot just yet, we do know it revolves around Lucius (Mescal) — the son of Maximus’ (Crowe) lover Lucilla (Connie Nielsen) and the nephew of Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) — following Maximus’ death.
Lucius is just a kid in Gladiator, so naturally, in Gladiator 2, he’s all grown up.
The film also stars returning actors Connie Nielsen and Derek Jacobi, plus newcomers Pedro Pascal, Denzel Washington and Joseph Quinn.
The original film was an absolute blockbuster, raking in a whopping $465 million worldwide and being awarded five Oscars including Best Picture.
Although fans of the film have been waiting 24 years for a sequel, Russell Crowe feels weird about the whole thing.
“I’m slightly uncomfortable, the fact that they’re making another one, you know? Because of course, I’m dead, and I have no say in what gets done,” he told American podcaster Kyle Meredith during an interview.
“A couple of things that I’ve heard, I’m like, ‘No, no, no. That’s not in the moral journey of that particular character.’ But you know, I can’t say anything. That’s not my place. I’m six feet under. So we’ll see what that is like.”
So, whether the sequel will have the same impact as the original is still up in the air, but I think with the inclusion of Paul Mescal and Pedro Pascal, there’s a good chance that the girls, the gays and the theys will be taking a new interest in the Roman Empire.
Gladiator 2 is expected to be out in theatres November 2024.
