Talking about his character Macrinus in Gladiator II, Denzel Washington shared, “Today, many rich people keep stables of racehorses. Macrinus has a stable of gladiators. And when he adds Lucius to the stable, he has a much bigger goal in mind. Lucius is a born leader and great warrior, which makes him useful in many ways. But pure anger is not a tool; This is a loss. Macrinus never wants to lose control. He doesn’t want to be an emperor. He wants to control the emperor. And power is a drug. Once you have it, you can’t live without it. Once he got the taste for taking, he had to take more. He doesn’t really care about anyone. He uses them. If people can’t make him more powerful, he has no interest in them.
He added, “This is huge – Cecil B. on steroids. Like DeMille. Ridley doesn’t have a hundred people in battle scenes, he has thousands. He does not have 20 horses. He has more than 20 horses. Wherever you turn on this movie, you’re in the same world. “Being on a set with beautiful costumes and brilliant colors, thousands of soldiers with swords, shields and horses, it felt more like a film to me,” the actor added. “It’s a world in itself. “People will be amazed at what they see.”
Years after the tragic death of Maximus, Gladiator II will follow Paul Mescal’s Lucius as he enters the Colosseum after his home is taken over by the tyrannical rulers who now hold Rome in fear.