When does Gladiator 2 take place?

Pack your swords and shields… we’re heading back to Gladiator school. As a new generation of Roman soldiers gets introduced, when does Gladiator 2 actually take place?

Ridley Scott’s vision for ancient Rome is never going to be historically accurate, but it’s always going to be entertaining.

Fans have been waiting a long time for any kind of new Gladiator movie, and now we’re days away from watching Paul Mescal run around in a shiny little skirt.

But when does Gladiator 2 take place, and how does it actually link to what we’ve seen before? Here’s the full rundown.

When does Gladiator 2 take place?

Gladiator 2 takes place in 211 AD in the second century. Unsurprisingly, Rome really was the biggest city in the world at the time.

Paramount Pictures

Let’s give you some historical context. The world had a population of 257 million at the time, and Emperor Septimius Severus was extending his conquest to places like Syria and Palestine.

As you’ll have noticed from the many trailers and press shots, Severus isn’t a character in the film. Instead, imperial duties are carried out by twins Geta (Joseph Quinn) and Caracalla (Fred Hechinger), who are more like a deranged version of Romulus and Remus.

But here’s the soap opera-style twist… Geta and Caracalla were the sons of Severus in real life. If you’re not a history buff, Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris) and Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) from the original movie were real as well.

In between the two movies, a lot has happened. After Commodus’ death, the Year of Five Emperors began in 193 AD. This did exactly what it said on the tin, with five men claiming rule over the empire – one of with being our man Severus.

Fast-forward to 209 AD and Geta and Caracalla are jointly ruling. This lasts until 211 AD, which is where Gladiator 2 picks up. Why don’t we see them rule for longer? Without alluding to historical spoilers, let’s just say there will be blood.

How many years later is it to Gladiator?

While approximate, the sequel takes place about 20 years after the events of Gladiator, setting up Maximus’ son Lucius to begin a hero’s journey of his own.

Paramount Pictures

As we’ve just described, a lot has happened to Rome in the 20 years since we’ve been away from the Empire. If we’re once again going by the real-life timeline, we know Gladiator must have finished around 192 AD, which is when Commodus died.

For reference, the first few scenes of Gladiator will have been set around 180 AD, which is when Marcus Aurelius died. Considering Russell Crowe didn’t age in the slightest over those twelve years, it’s likely this was altered somewhat for continuity reasons.

Of course, there’s a much more obvious clue to suggest two decades have passed – Lucius. When we meet him in the original movie, he’s a young boy being shipped out of Rome and harm’s way. Now he’s a fully grown man, thrown into a near-similar situation as his dad was all those years ago.

He’s got a similar goal to bring the Empire down from the inside, carrying on Aurelius’ belief of emancipating gladiators. In real life, Paul Mescal is 28 years old, meaning the timeline checks out.

Brilliantly, it’s also been around 20 years since we saw Maximus die, so now Gladiator 2 follows our timeline as well as the Romans’.

How is it connected to the original movie?

While the plot is heavily inspired by Maximus, there are two direct links to the first film – Lucilla (Connie Nielsen) and Senator Gracchus (Sir Derek Jacobi).

Paramount Pictures

Of course, Maximus’ legacy is what connects the two movies together – you can’t have a sequel without the events of its original. But in terms of who we’re seeing on screen, Nielsen and Jacobi are the only direct links to Gladiator.

Speaking to Filmhounds Magazine, Nielsen explained there was “no hesitation whatsoever” to come back to film a sequel.

“She’s so well set up story-wise in the film,” she added. “We immediately understand the unique situation that she’s in, and historically that period is marked by enormous corruption. The entire process by which an emperor is chosen has been undermined and is now simply an auction for who will pay the Praetorian guard the most money.

“Lucilla’s decency, and her belief in truth, fairness, and democracy are so at odds with the glaring dysfunction and deep cynicism at work in the society she now has to survive in. That is an incredible setup for playing a character.”

Let’s not forget: Lucilla sent Lucius away from Rome, meaning he grew up in a region of Northern Africa known as Numidia. That’s where we find him when Gladiator 2 begins.

Is Gladiator 2 a prequel?

It’s probably quite clear by now that Gladiator 2 isn’t a prequel. But given this was a fantasy sequel for many years, plenty of rumors started about what it could be.

Paramount Pictures

It goes without saying that exploring Maximus’ life as a general in Marcus Aurelius’ Rome is probably something fans would want to see. But back in 2018 – when Gladiator 2 was just an idea – Nick Cave wrote a bizarre storyline that never came to life.

Instead of any events we’re about to see in the new movie, Cave’s script saw Maximus time-traveling through a multitude of different plot lines in order to reunite with his wife in the wheat fields of Elysium.

That‘s the simple version. There’s the supernatural, Roman deities, and a ghostly guide called Mordecai.

“I enjoyed writing it very much because I knew on every level that it was never going to get made,” Cave told Den of Geek years later… and it never did.

Getting a plot for a sequel certainly created problems, though. With no questions left unanswered from the original film, there never felt like a need for a sequel, even if Scott had been thinking about the idea for decades.

It certainly wasn’t going to be with Russell Crowe, whose alleged response to Cave’s script was, “Don’t like it, mate.” He’s since expressed being “uncomfortable” with the idea of another movie being made.

Gladiator 2 comes to cinemas on November 15 in the UK and November 22 in the US. Catch up with the 5 most explicit scenes in Napoleon, Gladiator 2’s first reactions, and the best movies of the year so far.

You can also check out more new movies streaming this month.