Gladiator II

[SiL]

I'm going to assume they went with great whites as they're in the area and are more spectacular.

I'm not arguing the film did something sensible including sharks, just addressing a common misconception.

[𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔈𝔦𝔤𝔥𝔱𝔥 𝔓𝔞𝔰𝔰𝔢𝔫𝔤𝔢𝔯]

Ok cool, I was aware that not all sharks need to swim in order to stay alive. Great whites usually feature in shark movies so they'll probably be in Gladiator II.

Ironically:

"Art is like a shark. You've got to keep swimming, or else you drown." - Ridley Scott

[Ingwar]

Sharks cannot survive long in fresh water.

Marine biologist: Ridley, sharks don't survive long in fresh water.

Scott: they bloody do now!

[St_Eddie]

Funny, when I first started speculating on the inclusion of Naumachias, before filming even started, I thought they should throw in some sharks as well.

But then I thought it would probably be a bit over-the-top. I mean, how would you get the sharks to the Colosseum? Rome is more than 15 miles from the sea, and a shark needs to keep swimming otherwise it suffocates. And the Colosseum was flooded with water from the Tiber river. Sharks cannot survive long in fresh water.

Crocodiles would probably make more sense since they are amphibious and live in freshwater.

Exactly. It's Hollywood excess, bullshit spectacle and flies in the face of what the first film was all about. There's absolutely nothing to suggest that the Romans flooded their arenas and used sharks during gladiatorial battles. That particular suggested history comes from Hawaii's historical gladiatorial battles.

It's all just a case of sequelitis; "There were animals in the first film... tigers, so we better go BIGGER for the sequel." Bullshit.  I'm hating everything about this movie, from concept to regurgitated plot and 'member berries.  As though it weren't enough for Ridley Scott to sully his work on Alien with the prequels, now he's gonna sully Gladiator too.  Just... f**k off.  Sick of it.

[Local Trouble]

a shark needs to keep swimming otherwise it suffocates.

Depends entirely on the type of shark. Many can breathe without moving.

[𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔈𝔦𝔤𝔥𝔱𝔥 𝔓𝔞𝔰𝔰𝔢𝔫𝔤𝔢𝔯]

Exactly. It's Hollywood excess, bullshit spectacle and flies in the face of what the first film was all about. There's absolutely nothing to suggest that the Romans flooded their arenas and used sharks during gladiatorial battles. That particular suggested history comes from Hawaii's historical gladiatorial battles.

It's all just a case of sequelitis; "There were animals in the first film... tigers, so we better go BIGGER for the sequel." Bullshit.  I'm hating everything about this movie, from concept to regurgitated plot and 'member berries.  As though it weren't enough for Ridley Scott to sully his work on Alien with the prequels, now he's gonna sully Gladiator too.  Just... f**k off.  Sick of it.

The Colosseum being flooded for ship to ship battles is historical fact. They later modified the floor of the arena by adding underground tunnels and lifts and such as we see in the original film and that prevented the ability to flood it after that.

Naumachias were mostly held in specially built basins designed for the purpose. Almost like the Circus Maximus but built for ships rather than chariots.

I've never seen any mention of sharks being put into the water so that likely is a bit of a dodgy fabrication. But I suspect if the Romans could have done it they probably would have.

Rhinos and crocodiles were used in the Colosseum, but I doubt it's possible to ride a rhinoceros as described in the footage shown.

But at the end of the day, the film is just entertainment, not a historical documentary.

[St_Eddie]

Sorry, but I rather liked the relative historical accuracy of the original film. The only things which were inaccurate within the original film were the language and the characters (in regards to their real-life counterparts). There were no CG sharks and ships splashing about within a Roman Colosseum. Sorry, nope, not having it.  I have never wanted to see Gladiator turned into Pirates of the Caribbean III.  Can't say that was upon my bucket list.

[𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔈𝔦𝔤𝔥𝔱𝔥 𝔓𝔞𝔰𝔰𝔢𝔫𝔤𝔢𝔯]

Sorry, but I rather liked the relative historical accuracy of the original film. The only things which were inaccurate within the original film were the language and the characters (in regards to their real-life counterparts). There were no CG sharks and ships splashing about within a Roman Colosseum. Sorry, nope, not having it.  I have never wanted to see Gladiator turned into Pirates of the Caribbean III.  Can't say that was upon my bucket list.

Fair enough, it doesn't really bother me that much.

Like I said above, ships splashing about in the Colosseum was real. It's just the sharks I doubt. And riding rhinos like you would a horse.

https://twitter.com/RidleyScottArch/status/1780623124318261450

[KiramidHead]

There was an Indy 3 script where Jones rides a rhino like a horse. Ford looked at that and said f**k off. 

[𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔈𝔦𝔤𝔥𝔱𝔥 𝔓𝔞𝔰𝔰𝔢𝔫𝔤𝔢𝔯]

There was an Indy 3 script where Jones rides a rhino like a horse. Ford looked at that and said f**k off. 

But he didn't have problems with surving a nuke by hiding inside a fridge? 

[KiramidHead]

There was an Indy 3 script where Jones rides a rhino like a horse. Ford looked at that and said f**k off. 

But he didn't have problems with surving a nuke by hiding inside a fridge? 

It's probably easier to turn down a Columbus script than something Lucas wants.

[Ingwar]

https://twitter.com/RidleyScottArch/status/1780623124318261450

That will soon be followed by Gladiator II (this Nov. 22), which stars Quinn as Roman Emperor Caracalla. Quinn credits his friends and family for keeping him grounded as his résumé bulks up. "I made sure that all of my family saw the Colosseum," he says, referring to the gladiatorial arena on the set of Scott's epic. "I think these experiences are very rare, and if you're able to experience them with the people that put you here, that's always a special feeling."

Quinn seems to be having the time of his life on screen as Caracalla, though he downplays it. ("I dunno about that. Yeah, I guess so.") Paul Mescal stars as Lucius, the grown-up son of Connie Nielsen's Lucilla and nephew of Joaquin Phoenix's Commodus. In the footage screened in the room at CinemaCon, Quinn appears in a flowing white toga, golden laurel-leaf crown, and white powder coating his skin as he dramatically plunges his thumb downward to note the fate of the defeated gladiators. Did he end up channeling any of Phoenix's performance? "Honestly, barely even thought about that," he says. Perhaps any similarities just happened naturally, though he does note, "More is always more for Ridley. He always wants to play the chords louder and turn it up and go for the more brave or bold form of communicating it."

Quinn gives a lot of credit to Nielsen. For as cool and collected as he always seems to appear, Quinn remembers the nerves that came with the Caracalla role. "We all were very aware of the legacy of the first film," he explains. "So many people get misty-eyed about it. So going anywhere near it again felt a little scary." Then came his time on set, witnessing the sheer size of the Colosseum for the first time. "It's bonkers, it's nuts," he continues. "That's the thing with working on a film like that, it changes your perspective on things. The fact that on a film of that scale, they built ancient Rome in Malta and to bear witness to that is truly awesome."

That's where Nielsen came in "to show us how to behave in the Colosseum," he recalls. The actress appears alongside many of Quinn's scenes, including in the CinemaCon footage. "I was very nervous about it, and she was a very calming presence," he says. "She's a wonderful woman."

https://ew.com/joseph-quinn-breakthrough-year-gladiator-2-fantastic-four-game-of-thrones-8631575

[𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔈𝔦𝔤𝔥𝔱𝔥 𝔓𝔞𝔰𝔰𝔢𝔫𝔤𝔢𝔯]

https://twitter.com/worldofreel/status/1783511370740199661

'Gladiator II' Test Screens — 160 Minutes, "Thrilling" and Oscar-Worthy
April 25, 2024

Ridley Scott's "Gladiator II" test-screened last night in Las Vegas. Early word is good on this one, which is said to follow a very similar blueprint as the original, but also stands out as its own unique take.

A few months ago, at CinemaCon, Scott, appearing via video, introduced an unfinished trailer to the crowd. He also said the sequel was "more extraordinary" than the first one. Once people finally laid their eyes on the footage, the praise was universal.

The cut shown last night clocked in at 2 hours 40 minutes. It's a very cut and dry revenge story, but no less thrilling. The monkey gladiator scene is being described as "gory" and "absolutely insane" with monkeys ripping off faces and bones.

It's a revenge story. Pedro Pascal's character is Paul Mescal's stepdad. One day Pascal is sent to battle and Mescal's wife and mom are murdered. Mescal, a noble journeyman, goes to the capital to seek revenge and fight his way to the top of the chain. Denzel Washington's puppet master, the true villain of the film, oversees everything and is impressed by Mescal's talents

The new characters are strong. Mescal's performance is said to be subdued, but effective. The standouts seems to be Connie Nielsen who does a "great job," very emotional and beautiful work on her part, and, according to an attendee, she could potentially get Oscar nominated for her work here. Washington, as the shadowy operator, manipulating everything, is deviously brilliant. Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger are said to be entertaining standouts as well — chewing up the scenery in their spoiled-rich kid roles.

The attendee goes on to praise the production design and costumes. The sets here are beautiful and spacious, replicating the look and feel of the original. The gladiator arena scenes were, much like the original, very entertaining — there's sharks, killer monkeys, a massive rhino and overall great fighting/action. It looks nearly done, only a few gory edits aren't finished like cuts on people, deaths (by arrow or sword). Harry Gregson Williams' score was excellent, it flowed very well with the film.

A few months ago, a THR report confirmed that Scott's sequel had its budget "balloon" from $165 million to a whopping $310 million. The piece went on to describe Paramount execs as feeling "terribly vexed" by the whole ordeal, but felt relieved once they saw footage of the film which "blew them away. There's a lot riding on this film and Scott might have delivered something worthy.

"Gladiator 2" is currently scheduled for a November 22, 2024 release.

[Ingwar]

One day Pascal is sent to battle and Mescal's wife and mom are murdered.

Lucilla gets murdered at the beginning? I don't think so. Again ... World of Reel.

I don't know how legit it is.

Queen Camilla's hatmaker Jane Smith steps in to resolve a ding-dong between Gladiator 2 director Ridley Scott and Denzel Washington after the star refused to follow Ridley's instructions to wear dreadlocks.

Jane, who has made hats for Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep as well as Camilla's Order of the Garter titfer, was commissioned to make a series of silk turbans for Denzel.

'Then I heard from Los Angeles that Denzel didn't want to wear dreads,' Jane tells an audience at the Colony Room Club. 'So I had to make them all again but much bigger.'

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-13342427/EPHRAIM-HARDCASTLE-Gladiator-Ridley-Scott-Denzel-Washington-Queen-Camilla.html

Smith's hats were used in The Last Duel and The Terror.

https://www.janesmithhats.co.uk/

[𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔈𝔦𝔤𝔥𝔱𝔥 𝔓𝔞𝔰𝔰𝔢𝔫𝔤𝔢𝔯]

I remember Ben Affleck and Matt Damon almost balked when Ridley showed them concept art of their hairstyles. 

Guess Denzel wasn't havin' any of that shit either.