Here’s A First Look at Denzel Washington in Ridley Scott’s ‘Gladiator II’

It’s still going to be a while before fans can set their eyes on Gladiator II when it drops in theaters this fall, but Vanity Fair just released some first look photos that will leave everyone more than satiated in the meantime.

The captivating photos feature the film’s stars including a peek at Denzel Washington looking dashing dressed as his character Macrinus.

In the shot (the third image in the slideshow below), Washington oozes opulence dressed in a blue garment draped in gold fabric. He’s sitting on a golden throne as he sports a salt-and-pepper goatee and a gold hoop earring.

And if the photo wasn’t enough, Ridley Scott, who is directing the sequel to the 2000 film , shared some more insight into Washington’s character.

“Denzel is an arms dealer who supplies food for the armies in Europe, supplies wine and oil, makes steel, makes spears, weapons, cannons, and catapults. So he is a very wealthy man,” Scott tells Vanity Fair .

“Instead of having a stable of racehorses, he has a stable of gladiators,” he adds. “He’s beautiful. He drives a golden Ferrari. I got him a gold-plated chariot.”

Glitz and glam aside, Scott admits that Macrinus isn’t necessarily the nicest person to said stable of gladiators, telling the outlet, “To the guys who fight in the arena I guess he’s pretty fucking cruel, right?”

Gladiator II is charging into theaters on November 22 and the saga picks up after Russell Crowe’s Maximus made the ultimate sacrifice, shaking up the corrupt regime. The spotlight now shines on Lucius, played by Paul Mescal , who you might remember as the little boy from the first film—the son of Lucilla, the noblewoman portrayed by Connie Nielsen .

And speaking of Connie Nielsen, she’s back too! She’s reprising her role as Lucilla, one of the rare true-to-history characters in the otherwise fictional Gladiator universe. In real life, Lucilla was quite the revolutionary, deeply troubled by the path Rome took after her father, Emperor Marcus Aurelius, passed away.

Looks like we’re in for a thrilling ride through history and drama.

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