Gladiator 2 Was Over Halfway Done Filming When Actors Strike Began

Gladiator 2 was over halfway done filming when the actors strike began in July 2023.

According to Variety, Gladiator 2 was “more than halfway” finished filming when the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) went on strike on July 14, 2023.

The Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike ended on September 27, 2023, while SAG-AFTRA is scheduled to resume negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) on October 2. This means production on Gladiator 2 could potentially resume in the near future, should AMPTP present SAG-AFTRA with a fair deal for actors.

What do we know about Gladiator 2?

In November 2018, Paramount Pictures officially greenlit a sequel to 2000’s Gladiator. Ridley Scott is returning to direct the film, while David Scarpa wrote the screenplay. Scapa and Scott have collaborated before on 2017’s All the Money in the World and the forthcoming Napoleon biopic.

While plot details regarding Gladiator 2 are relatively scarce, the film is said to revolve around the character of Lucius, the nephew of Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix). Having been saved by Maximus (Russell Crowe) in the original movie, Lucius is now a grown man and setting off on his own journey.

Paul Mescal is playing Lucius, while Connie Nielsen is reprising her role as Lucius’ mother, Lucilla. Also reprising their roles from the original Gladiator movie are Djimon Hounsou as Juba and Derek Jacobi as Senator Gracchus. They’ll be joined by newcomers Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger, May Calamawy, Lior Raz, Peter Mensah, and Matt Lucas.

Scott is producing Gladiator 2 with Scott Free president Michael Pruss, Red Wagon Entertainment’s Douglas Wick, and Lucy Fisher. The film is considered to be a joint-venture production between Paramount, Universal Pictures, Scott Free Productions, and Parkes/MacDonald Productions.

Gladiator 2 is currently scheduled to release in the United States on November 22, 2024.