Paul Mescal is one of the most respected young actors working today. He’s appeared in a number of beloved indie films and TV series. He’s been nominated for all the awards. But he has yet to make the leap into big tentpole blockbusters. Until “Gladiator II” came his way. That said, he was offered others before, but nothing felt right for him.

READ MORE: ‘Gladiator II’ Review: Paul Mescal Gives A Mostly Worthy Fight In Sequel That’s Timelier Than It Seems 

Speaking in a new profile on Variety, Paul Mescal explained why he turned down “other quite big studio, franchise-y” films and said yes to Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator II.” The short answer is because it’s Ridley Scott and it felt right. 

Continue reading Before ‘Gladiator II,’ Paul Mescal Turned Down “Other Quite Big Studio, Franchise-y” Films at The Playlist.

Not long ago, scores of women on social media discovered that, apparently, a large swath of heterosexual men recurrently think about the Roman Empire. An endless source of shared fascination. For many of those adult men such interest probably emerged from watching Ridley Scott’s original “Gladiator” more than two decades ago and not from textbooks. The honor-driven, kindness-laced heroism of Russell Crow’s Maximus represented an admirable brand of manhood to aspire to, that of a grieving, unwavering individual fighting for a just cause. 

Continue reading ‘Gladiator II’ Review: Paul Mescal Gives A Mostly Worthy Fight In Sequel That’s Timelier Than It Seems  at The Playlist.

Paul Mescal is one of the best young actors working today. However, up until now, he hasn’t really worked on any blockbuster projects. That’s going to change with “Gladiator II,” which is about as big as a film can get. But don’t call it “content.” Mescal isn’t a fan of that word. 

Speaking with The Times, Paul Mescal talked about the film industry and his career. Specifically, he talked about how some people discuss feature films as being “content.” We’ve seen this quite a bit when it comes to creating films or TV series for streaming services.

Continue reading Paul Mescal Doesn’t Like People Saying Films Are “Content”: “That’s A Filthy Word” at The Playlist.

The movie season is picking up considerably as November delivers major award contenders and blockbuster fare. “Wicked” and “Gladiator II” will try to attempt a “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer-style box office boost. Festival favorites like “A Real Pain” and “Bird” arrive for their official, long-awaited premieres. Elsewhere, there are two Dwayne Johnson films, an animated sequel, the second film from Luca Guadagnino in 2024 alone, and even some holiday-inspired features to help roll us into December. 

Continue reading 17 November Films To See: ‘Blitz,’ ‘Queer,’ ‘Maria,’ ‘Gladiator II’ & More at The Playlist.

We’ve seen enough. It’s time to rank the Best Picture players for the 2025 Academy Awards. This year’s race may still be unsettled, but Sean Baker’s “Anora” has rolled through festival season, earning genuine adoration and respect. It arrives in limited release on Friday with a chance to notch one of the top per-screen averages of the year. If AMPAS and guild members weren’t aware of it already, those box office headlines should grab their attention.

Continue reading The First Best Picture ‘Blitz’ Arrives With More Still To Come at The Playlist.

Sure, Steven Soderbergh and Steven Spielberg work fast, so does Guy Ritchie, but none of them are 86 years old and Ridley Scott is arguably the oldest director working at the pace he does, a film every two years at least. But that clip has sped up recently. 2021 delivered two films in one year, “The Last Duel” and “House Of Gucci,” 2023 gave us “Napoleon” and Scott returns in 2024 with the long-awaited sequel to “Gladiator” with “Gladiator II.”

READ MORE: 2024 Fall Film Preview: 50 Movies To Watch

Twenty four years after “Gladiator” in 2000, Scott has finally cooked up a long-discussed sequel.

Continue reading ‘Gladiator II’ Trailer: Ridley Scott’s New Epic Stars Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal & More at The Playlist.

Filmmaker Ridley Scott is famously gruff, speaks his unvarnished mind, and is DGAF, but generally, he isn’t one lacking from a big ego. So perhaps it’s in keeping with his style that the filmmaker has claimed that his “Gladiator II” sequel is one of his greatest films.

READ MORE: 2024 Fall Film Preview: 50 New Movies To Watch

In a recent interview with Empire Magazine, he wasn’t shy about how good his new ‘Gladiator’ sequel is in his mind.

Continue reading Ridley Scott Says ‘Gladiator II’ Is The “Best Film I’ve Ever Made” at The Playlist.

Alright, we’re in the dog days of summer, and this season is almost over. And you know what that means: it’s the season of fall film festival, prestige adult dramas, Oscar contenders, and the occasional blockbuster thrown in for good measure.

Fall 2024 TV Preview: 40 Must-See Series To Watch

For those that just want adult content, you’ll be mostly very happy as there aren’t many tentpoles; no Marvel, “Star Wars” or “Avatar” movies coming. The closest you’ll get to big blockbusters is the “Beetlejuice” sequel, “Joker: Folie á Deux,” two Sony “Spider-Man” spin-off movies, an animated “Transformers” movie for kids, Amazon’s “Red Ones,” and Disney’s “Moana 2,” “Mufasa.

Continue reading 2024 Fall Film Preview: 50 Movies To Watch at The Playlist.

Filmmaker Ridley Scott has never shied away from filming a massive action sequence. He’s done plenty of action-heavy epics in his time. However, according to the filmmaker, all of it pales in comparison to what people will see in the opening scene of “Gladiator II.”

READ MORE: Ridley Scott Was Never Asked To Direct ‘Alien’ Sequel After The First Film: “You Can Imagine I Wasn’t Happy”

Speaking to Empire, Ridley Scott talked about his upcoming film, “Gladiator II.” Apparently, the highly-anticipated sequel is going to begin with what the filmmaker is calling his biggest action sequence yet.

Continue reading ‘Gladiator II’: Ridley Scott Says The Film Opens With “The Biggest Action Sequence” He’s Ever Done at The Playlist.

It’s been over two decades, with years of speculation and delays and a long development process that, at one time or another, had names like John Logan (“Gladiator,” “The Last Samurai, “Penny Dreadful”), singer Nick Cave, and actors Chris Hemsworth and Barry Keoghan attached. As well as story ideas that ranged from prequel to resurrection to depictions of the afterlife.

Continue reading ‘Gladiator II’ Trailer: Ridley Scott’s Highly Anticipated Sequel Arrives November 22 at The Playlist.

After being discussed for years, with it seemingly stuck in development, we are actually pretty close to seeing “Gladiator II” grace our theaters. So close, in fact, that it’s time for our first official look at the highly anticipated Ridley Scott sequel.

The images (via Vanity Fair) are exactly what you would hope for and expect from a “Gladiator” sequel. We see Paul Mescal, one of the best young actors working today, in his gladiator garb all bloodied.

Continue reading ‘Gladiator II’ First Look: Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal & More Star In Ridley Scott’s Sequel at The Playlist.