It’s one of the biggest gaps between a film and its sequel in history: Gladiator II arrives in cinemas a full 24 years after the original Gladiator, also directed by Ridley Scott, was released. That film met with huge commercial success, spawned an array of catchphrases (“At my signal, unleash hell”; “Are you not entertained?”) and, in 2001, won five Oscars. Now Scott and the Gladiator brand are back, with an audience primed for the follow-up movie having either seen the original at the time, or caught up with it via streaming. If you haven’t got up to speed yet, do so via our streaming guide, below.
Gladiator made a superstar of Australian actor Russell Crowe, who had already found success in LA Confidential and The Insider, but was put on a new level by his lead role as Maximus, a Roman general who falls foul of the emperor, Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) and is enslaved, with his family murdered. Swearing vengeance, Maximus takes the opportunity he is given when he is forced to become a gladiator, fighting to the death for the entertainment of Commodus and the citizens of Rome.
The new film takes advantage of the long lag between the two films by simply moving on by one generation. Paul Mescal is Lucius, the son of Maximus, played by child actor Spencer Treat Clark in the first film. Forced into slavery and then into combat when the corrupt and violent Empire invades his home in Numidia, Lucius fights in the presence of his mother, Lucilla, and the anti-corruption politician, Senator Gracchus. Connie Nielsen and Derek Jacobi reprise their roles, with new cast members including Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn and Denzel Washington.
Watching Gladiator and Gladiator II in a double bill is one of the more straightforward chronological binges you’ll ever complete. There is, however, one other thing you might want to stream if you want to be a real Gladiator completist: the 2000 film was based on Those About to Die, a 1958 book by Daniel P Mannix. Although the 2024 TV dramatisation of the same book is very different to Gladiator, it does have a subplot about a slave who becomes a famous arena warrior.
A third film, Gladiator III, is said to be in development - presumably Ridley Scott, who is now 86 years old, won’t wait another 24 years to make that. In case you’re wondering, films with an even bigger gap between the original and the sequel than Gladiator include The Hustler/The Color of Money (25 years), Coming to America/Coming 2 America (33 years) and Top Gun/Top Gun: Maverick (36 years), although none of those retained the original film’s director for the follow-up movie.
Where to watch all Gladiator movies streaming online
To stream both parts of the Gladiator film franchise, see our guide below.
