What happens when you put Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal and Joseph Quinn in the same movie? Internet pandemonium. The trio of actors will lead the Gladiator 2 cast, and following the first footage being shown at CinemaCon this week, fans who haven’t even seen it yet (because it wasn’t publically released) are proclaiming that they were simultaneously very ready and so not ready to see all three heartthrobs share the screen.
During CinemaCon this week, which CinemaBlend was in attendance for, we had a chance to see Ridley Scott debut the first footage from the long-awaited sequel ahead of its release this fall on the 2024 movie schedule. The sneak preview of the Gladiator sequel involved Paul Mescal’s Lucius fighting a rhinoceros and both Pascal and Quinn being introduced as the villainous emperors following Joaquin Phoenix’s memorable performance as Commodus in the 2000 original. Here’s one way Twitter is reacting to reports about the footage:
FIRST LOOK at Pedro Pascal, Paul Mescal and Joseph Quinn in Gladiator 2 pic.twitter.com/q04OyFk9PtApril 12, 2024
While a lot of first looks for 2024 movies that were first shown at CinemaCon later dropped on the internet, such as the Joker 2 trailer, only the attendees of the Las Vegas event, who mainly consisted of theater exhibitors and press, have witnessed what Gladiator 2 looks like. While Paramount will surely release a trailer for the sequel in the future, fans of Mescal, Pascal and Quinn are particularly coming together at this moment.
The Pedro Pascal, Paul Mescal, and Joseph Quinn fan bases coming together to make Gladiator 2 a billion dollar film. #CinemaConApril 11, 2024
Paul Mescal started turning heads when he starred in the TV adaptation of the popular romance book Normal People with Daisy Edgar-Jones in 2020. The Irish actor has since continued to rise in popularity (much to his dismay), especially with his Oscar-nominated role in 2022’s Aftersun. In terms of Pedro Pascal… do I really need to explain? The actor has risen through the ranks to become the internet’s boyfriend, especially with his “daddy” roles in The Mandalorian and The Last Of Us.
As this fan pointed out, waiting to see them together on screen is too much, we need a trailer now:
me pretending i don’t care about sweaty bloody broad shouldered pedro pascal, Joseph Quinn and Paul mescal in gladiator 2 so that they drop the trailer sooner pic.twitter.com/cPFbFtUpl4April 11, 2024
Joseph Quinn is the freshest face of the trio, but he has earned a major fanbase just in the last couple of years alone with his unforgettable role as Eddie Munson in Stranger Things. While most fans have not seen what’s coming for them with Mescal, Pascal and Quinn’s roles in Gladiator 2, the descriptions are enough to cause some major buzz for a first look to drop online:
all of us when the gladiator 2 electric boogaloo trailer finally drops pic.twitter.com/qLm1yFxzgwApril 10, 2024
When CinemaBlend covered the Paramount CinemaCon panel live, managing director Sean O’Connell shared that the Gladiator 2 footage was “incredible,” saying the sequel “increases the stakes of the games” along with sharing that Quinn and Pascal in particular “look terrifying” as “powerful rulers making life miserable for the lower class.” He also shouted out Denzel Washington’s role in the film — he will reportedly play the mentor to Mescal’s Lucius.
Basically, there’s a lot to get hyped about, and I think we’re all feeling how this fan feels:
Rolling up to the theatre for Gladiator 2 exactly like this pic.twitter.com/KMfrCpWxwrApril 11, 2024
Ridley Scott most definitely knows how to pick a hot cast! You can get excited for Gladiator 2 right with the internet, as the movie is hitting theaters on November 22!
