Pedro Pascal just shared some first-look Gladiator 2 photos and the internet is going feral
Pedro Pascal has shared first look pictures of him battling Paul Mescal’s character in Gladiator 2, out in November (Getty)
Everyone’s favourite “cool slutty daddy” Pedro Pascal just shared a photo showing him taking on Paul Mescal in Gladiator 2, and people are not ok.
Pascal reposted two exclusive images from the upcoming Ridley Scott sequel on Monday (1 July), which had appeared in Vanity Fair a couple of hours earlier. They show his character battling Paul Mescal’s character in a Roman arena. The photos are just captioned “Uh. Oh #Gladiator2”
Pascal’s legion of fans were quick to comment on the photo of him looking quite concerned, looking at a sword that appears to be a hair’s breadth from slicing off part of his face.
One follower wrote: “It going to take me a while to process everything I’m feeling right now…” Another, who possibly needs to go and have a little lie down, said: “explosion at the testosterone factory.”
Quite a few people also mentioned Pedro Pascal’s habit of dying in many of the shows and movies that he’s in – just like poor old Sean “Boromir/Ned Stark” Bean back in the day. One of the top comments reads: “I think I speak for everyone when I kindly request that you don’t die for once.”
Who does Pedro Pascal play in Gladiator 2?
Pedro Pascal plays Marcus Acacius, a Roman general who trained under Maximus Decimus Meridius – the hero of the original Gladiator movie, played by Russell Crowe.
In an interview with Vanity Fair, he explains that his character is someone who finds himself carried away by circumstance. “I think that a lot happens before you can stop and question what you’ve done. And then of course there’s no changing it,” he said. “He’s a very, very good general, which can mean a very good killer.”
Acacius is pitted against Paul Mescal’s character, Lucius Verus, who fans of the original might remember as the young boy who co-ruled Rome alongside the evil emperor Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix). His mother is Lucilla (Connie Neilsen), the second daughter of the previous emperor Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris).
Will Russell Crowe be in Gladiator 2?
Not only will he not be in it, he’s not even that big a fan of Ridley Scott making a sequel at all.
On an episode of the Kyle Meredith With… podcast, Russell Crowe revealed he’s “slightly uncomfortable” with Scott making a sequel. Oh, and no, Crowe’s character will not return for Gladiator 2 since he died in the original, and it seems unlikely Scott will bring him back as some kind of Star Wars-style force ghost.
“I have no say in what gets done,” Crowe revealed.
Gladiator 2 release date
Gladiator 2 comes out in the UK on 15 November 2024, so it won’t be too long before we get to see Pascal and Mescal battle it out in the colosseum. Who knows, maybe they end up kissing and making up at the end.
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