Denzel Washington responds to the possibility of a spinoff centered on his character, Macrinus, from Ridley Scotts Gladiator II. Scott returns to direct Gladiator II, a sequel to his 2000 Best Picture winner Gladiator. The new movie focuses on Lucius (Paul Mescal), the son of Maximus and Lucilla, now an adult and former Roman heir driven into the gladiator arena after General Marcus Acacius (Pedro Pascal) leads an invasion of his home under the rule of co-emperors Caracalla (Fred Hechinger) and Geta (Joseph Quinn). Washingtons Macrinus, a former slave with ambitious goals to control Rome, trains Lucius to fight.
