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The Gladiator II trailer has divided fans over a detail that has nothing to do with the film.
On Tuesday (9 July), the first look at the long-awaited sequel to Ridley Scott’s Oscar-winning epic was released online, showcasing Paul Mescal‘s Lucius, the son of Lucilla, who was played by Connie Nielsen in the original.
Mescal, who received a Best Actor nomination in 2022 for Aftersun, previously said he will be “profoundly depressed” if the new film makes him even more famous than he already is – but, if the excitement for the trailer is anything to go by, the Irish actor will need to start preparing.
However, as viewers saw Mescal and his co-stars, Pedro Pascal, Denzel Washington and Stranger Things breakout Joseph Quinn, in action, they couldn’t help but feel confused about the choice of song used in the trailer for the sword-and-sandal sequel: Jay-Z and Kanye West’s “No Church in the Wild”.
Many are complaining that “it absolutely ruins the vibe”, saying they would have preferred to hear some of the score, which is being composed by Hans Zimmer.
“How did Ridley Scott: A) Sign off on the wildly anachronistic song choice for this Gladiator 2 trailer?” one viewer wrote on X/Twitter, with another adding: “Jay-Z for the backing song? For Gladiator 2? Really?”
Another waded in: “The song in the Gladiator 2 trailer took me completely out of the moment, who chose that ???”
However, there are many who are calling out these people for their complaint by pointing out a little-remembered detail about the trailer for the original Gladiator film.
“For those too young to know, one of the first trailers for Gladiator had ‘Bawitaba’ by Kid Rock as a song. ‘No Church in The Wild’ is perfect for Gladiator 2.”
Another person stated: “Gladiator 2 looks f***ing incredible. I cannot imagine being one of those nerds upset about a song choice.”
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The plot synopsis for the film reads: “Years after witnessing the death of the revered hero Maximus at the hands of his uncle, Lucius (Mescal) is forced to enter the Colosseum after his home is conquered by the tyrannical Emperors who now lead Rome with an iron fist.
“With rage in his heart and the future of the Empire at stake, Lucius must look to his past to find strength and honour to return the glory of Rome to its people.”
The release date for the movie has also been confirmed, with its theatrical release set for 15 November.
