Director Ridley Scott steps back into the arena with Gladiator II, the long-awaited follow-up to his record-breaking historical drama Gladiator. Mirroring real life, the story of Gladiator II picks up over 20 years after the events of the first movie and follows Lucius Verus, who was only a child in the original. Academy Award nominee (Aftersun) Paul Mescal plays Lucius in Gladiator II, and is supported by a cast which includes Pedro Pascal, Denzel Washington, and Fred Hechinger.