'Rome must fall' - Gladiator II trailer released 24 years after original film

Main characters in combat against each other.
The three-minute trailer depicts a violent struggle for freedom and power. Credit: Paramount Pictures

More than 20 years after the original movie was released and became a cult classic, fans have been given a first look at Gladiator II.

Irish actor Paul Mescal faces off against Pedro Pascal in Sir Ridley Scott's highly-anticipated sequel to the 2000 film that won several Oscars - including Best Picture.

The sequel is set several decades after the events of the first movie.

It focuses on Lucius (Mescal), who was a child in the first film saved by Maximus Decimus Meridius, played in the original by Russell Crowe.

Lucius was also the nephew of Commodus, the first film's antagonist, played by Joaquin Phoenix.

After ending up in slavery following an invasion led by Roman general Marcus Acacius played by Pedro Pascal, Lucius follows the inspiration of Maximus and competes as a gladiator.

The sequel also features Denzel Washington as Macrinus - a rich man of influence who manages Lucius.

The trailer includes clips from the original film, with Lucius referencing the moment he saw Maximus defeat Commodus.

"I remember that day. I never forgot it. That a slave could take revenge against an emperor", he says.

Normal People star Mescal, 28, plays a grown-up Lucius in the film. Credit: Paramount Pictures

The three-minute trailer ends with a fierce sword battle between Mescal and Pascal, with the camera cutting away at the last moment.

Gladiator II comes to UK cinemas in November.

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