Summary
- Gladiator 2 will explore Ancient Roman life through new characters, moving away from Maximus.
- The sequel will likely feature Caracalla as the main villain, adding historical accuracy.
- Despite historical inaccuracies, Gladiator 2 can provide a more accurate portrayal of Caracalla’s reign.
Gladiator 2‘s confirmed cast list suggests that the movie will be in the perfect position to fix a major issue with Ridley Scott’s original sword and sandal epic. Picking up after the events of the first movie, Gladiator 2 promises to blend returning characters with new cast members, moving the story away from Russell Crowe’s original iconic general. While this is a risk, considering Maximus’ legendary status, it also means that the movie can explore more of Ancient Roman life – in the process fixing one of Gladiator‘s biggest flaws.
The exact details of Gladiator 2‘s story remain closely guarded. However, thanks to some crucial cast announcements, some aspects are clear. The movie will take place 20 years after the events of the first film, with much of the action centered on Lucilla’s son, Lucius (played by Paul Mescal). As well as incorporating action in the arena, the movie will also follow the Machiavellian world of Roman politics, with new cast members including Joseph Quinn’s Emperor Caracalla. While this follows the formula of the original, it is through the inclusion of Caracalla that Gladiator 2 can resolve the first film’s biggest flaw.
Caracalla Can Be A Historically Accurate Main Villain In Gladiator 2
Although the precise identity of the main Gladiator 2 villain is unknown, all the evidence suggests that it will be Caracalla. In real life, Caracalla was one of the most notorious and tyrannical rulers of Rome. His reign was marked by a series of atrocities, ranging from the personal to the political. Despite initially ruling as a co-emperor with his brother, Geta, Caracalla soon had him assassinated so that he could rule alone. He also massacred entire populations and was merciless in his persecution of opponents, leading to his eventual murder by a disgruntled soldier.
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Every Actor Not Returning For Gladiator 2
Although some big names are returning for Ridley Scott’s much-belated sequel, there are a number of actors not coming back for Gladiator 2.
The fact that the real Caracalla was so heinous means that Gladiator 2 can be much more historically accurate than its predecessor. Whereas the first film played up Commodus’ villainy, Gladiator 2 can follow the facts and still portray Caracalla as an indisputable antagonist. While Gladiator was rightly praised for its detailed world-building, the movie played fast and loose with history to the point of isolating any viewers familiar with the main events of Commodus’ reign. Having a more accurate villain anchor the story in Gladiator 2 can mitigate some of these concerns, even if other elements of the story deviate from the truth.
Gladiator Changed The Real Commodus For The Worse
While Gladiator incorporated real people into its fictional narrative, the movie made major changes to Commodus’ character. According to Joaquin Phoenix’s portrayal, Commodus murdered his father and harbored incestuous feelings towards his sister, all while conspiring against the more representative elements of Rome’s government. Some of the more tyrannical aspects of his behavior accurately captured the essence of the real Commodus’ character. However, while the real emperor was a narcissistic despot, he was not as outright evil as Gladiator suggested.
Like all the emperors, Commodus was capable of extreme brutality. However, in the broader context of Ancient Rome, his violent tendencies were less exceptional – and certainly not as bad as Caracalla. In real life, the end of his reign was marked by complete egotism, in which he named all the months of the year after himself, changed Rome’s name, and oversaw the creation of multiple statues of himself as Hercules. While Ridley Scott’s film, which pits him directly against Russell Crowe’s Maximus, reflected his love of gladiatorial combat, it also made Commodus out to be much more malevolent than he really was.
Gladiator 2 Likely Still Won’t Be An Accurate Movie
While Gladiator 2 can effortlessly use Caracalla’s character to aid its accuracy, the chances of the rest of the film following the true story of the emperor’s reign seem incredibly remote. Much of this is due to the involvement of filmmaker Ridley Scott. While Scott has specialized in historical epics over the years, he has also earned a reputation for distorting historical facts. Although Gladiator is a perfect case study, other examples include Kingdom of Heaven, Robin Hood, and Exodus: Gods and Kings.
Even when Scott’s movies explicitly take a true story as their inspiration, the facts are often shifted to better suit the narrative. His recent Napoleon biopic, for instance, changed the real history around events like the Battle of Austerlitz to make the action even more dramatic. Given this track record, there’s no reason to think Gladiator 2 won’t take a similar approach – even if the movie does reflect aspects of Caracalla’s true story.
