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Denzel Washington hails ‘Gladiator II’ as ‘epic’

The legendary actor praises his costars
Denzel Washington
Denzel Washington (Photo credit: Bang Media)

Denzel Washington has warned Gladiator II is going to be “ridiculously big” and “epic.”


The actor is among the cast of Sir Ridley Scott’s follow-up to the Oscar-winning 2000 original playing Macrinus — a former slave who is plotting to overthrow Rome — opposite Paul Mescal and Pedro Pascal. The acclaimed actor has insisted the film is going to be one to watch.


“[It’s] huge! Ridiculously big!” Washington told Variety.

“Not good. Great. Both of them,” Washington said about his costars. “It’s a hard act to follow, and Paul pulled it off. He’s his own gladiator. I didn’t have to do anything but this [sips water with his little finger up]. That was my job. Just twirl the glass, twirl the goblet and hold whatever I had in my other hand.”


“And make sure I don’t step on my gown. A new trailer [for Gladiator II] comes out on the 23rd [September]. It’s epic,” the actor stated.

It comes after director Scott declared Gladiator II is “one of the best” movies of his career.

The filmmaker — who helmed the original Gladiator movie — insisted fans won’t be disappointed by the new film.

“It’s the best thing I’ve ever made … One of the best things. I’ve made a few good ’uns,” Scott explained to Empire.

“I thought the [first] film was, as it were, completely satisfactory, creatively complete, so why muck with it, right? But these cycles keep going on and on and on, they repeat globally for the last 20 years. It started to spell itself out as an obvious thing to do, and that’s how it evolved,” the Blade Runner director told Deadline.

Gladiator II is due for release in November.

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