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Image via Paramount Pictures
Gladiator 2 is the continuation of the beloved original from 2000, directed once again by Ridley Scott. The excitement for the film is already palpable, with multiple trailers already showcasing Gladiator 2's stacked cast, seemingly at their best, and an intriguing plot centered around the legacy of the original film's hero. So far, the stage is set for Gladiator 2 to become a big box office hit, but, despite how solid the film is looking in the lead-up to release, it has already sparked some controversy when it comes to the historical accuracy of the project.
The Gladiator franchise is, very clearly, based on the real-life Roman Empire, including many people that existed and many events that happened during the existence of the Empire. While Gladiator 2 does have a backdrop of a real historical time period, the way the characters are positioned and some of the scenes that are showcased don't line up with how events went down in real life. This has caused some uproar by historians and the like, slamming Gladiator 2 before its release. However, the film's lack of historical accuracy may actually end up helping the movie in the end.
Gladiator 2's Story Wouldn't Be Possible If It Followed Real History
The Film's Premise Itself Is A Generous Interpretation
The plot of the original Gladiator was nearly entirely fictional, using some real-life names and places, but not trying too hard to stick to the facts, and Gladiator 2 seems to be very much keeping that tradition up. One of the biggest real-life inaccuracies is seen in the film's protagonist, similarly to the first Gladiator's Maximus, who is an entirely fictional character. Gladiator 2's protagonist, Lucius Verus II, is trying to spark a revolution against the co-emperors Geta and Caracalla, which hugely differs from the real Lucius Verus II, who died of illness as a child, before Commodus even became emperor.
Geta and Caracalla themselves were indeed co-emperors of the Roman Empire for a time, but Joseph Quinn's remarks about Gladiator 2 indicate that Geta will be taking on more of a senior, older brother role when compared to Fred Hechinger's Caracalla, who will be suffering from some sort of cognitive dysfunction. In real life, Caracalla was very much in control, and eventually had Geta killed and wiped from the public records. While there's no telling what direction the film will take these characters, it seems that there will be big differences in how they operate.
Lucius Verus II | Paul Mescal |
Lucilla | Connie Nielsen |
Marcus Acacius | Pedro Pascal |
Macrinus | Denzel Washington |
Geta | Joseph Quinn |
Caracalla | Fred Hechinger |
A major returning Gladiator character, Lucilla, Lucius Verus II's mother, did not survive her brother Commodus' rule in real life, and was banished and executed for attempting to assassinate him, while the film has her survive until the sequel. Pedro Pascal's Marcus Acacius is entirely fictional, not based on any specific historical figure. While Macrinus, played in the film by Denzel Washington, was a real person who conspired against the emperor Caracalla, the real figure was never a slave, although he was a lower-class citizen than the majority of the Roman elite.
Gladiator 2 Is Changing History To Make A Proper Blockbuster Movie
Gladiator 2 Is A Blockbuster First And Foremost
Image via Paramount Pictures While some may shirk when they hear that the film is taking so many creative liberties, Gladiator 2 isn't skirting history just for the sake of it. One of the biggest talking points when it comes to the accuracy of the film is the sharks in the Colosseum shown off in the trailers for the film. Historians quickly cried foul, as, despite the fact that the Colosseum was indeed filled with water for naval battles, there were never sharks put in the water as well. Director Ridley Scott came out to defend Gladiator 2 very soon after, saying "Of course they can."
There will definitely be more historical inaccuracies present throughout the film, but they will surely all serve the purpose of increasing the blockbuster quality of the film.
Whether there really were sharks in the Colosseum is something that can be debated, but Scott's bigger point is that it just doesn't matter. For Gladiator 2, putting sharks in the arena makes for a more intense and engaging action scene, and so there are sharks in the arena. The changes that are being made in the movie are made entirely to make the movie a better blockbuster experience. There will definitely be more historical inaccuracies present throughout the film, but they will surely all serve the purpose of increasing the blockbuster quality of the film.
Gladiator 2 Doesn't Need To Be Historically Accurate, That's Not Its Purpose
The Film Isn't A Biopic Or A Documentary
Gladiator 2 is also not trying to be a lesson in ancient Roman history. The film, similar to what Maximus himself said about the fighting in the first Gladiator, is meant to entertain. There are plenty of documentaries as well as similar historical epics that will dive into the history of the time with a specific eye for accuracy, telling the story of the past exactly how it happened. Gladiator 2, along with the original, are not those movies. They are blockbuster entertainment first and foremost, and their accuracy of real-life events and people will always come second to their entertainment value.
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The historical accuracy criticism can be a valid one, such as in the case of another Ridley Scott film, Napoleon. That film was perceived as much more of a retelling of the life of this historical figure, and so its lack of accuracy made Napoleon feel much more disappointing. However, the original Gladiator, and now its sequel, were never billed as these historical retellings, made obvious by the fact that the protagonists of these films simply either don't exist, or were very different to the way the film portrays them.
Why It's Better For Gladiator 2 To Be Historically Inaccurate
Creative Freedom Is More Important Than Accuracy
Image via Paramount Pictures The crux of the issue, however, is simply a matter of creative freedom. If Ridley Scott and the writers were fully committed to telling the story exactly how it happened, they would likely come up against problems when conceiving how the project would fit together as an actual film. A movie, especially one like Gladiator 2, needs great action, suspense, drama, likable characters, and an engaging story all tied together in a neat little bow, but real life is rarely as well put together as films are.
Using real-life figures as well as completely fictional elements allows Scott to make the best story he can. Lucius Verus II's father wasn't someone called Maximus, but by pulling these real-life inspirations and combining them with the fictional elements, the real-life elements give people with an interest in history something to latch on to, and the fictional moments allow for general moviegoers to find even more enjoyment out of the experience. Gladiator 2 can use the story of the Roman Empire as a starting point, but won't be hamstrung by a commitment to absolute realism.
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.
Release Date November 22, 2024
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