After taking home five Oscars and becoming one of the highest-grossing films of 2000, development quickly began on a sequel to Gladiator, but after years of false starts the project appeared to be dead. Director Ridley Scott, however, refused to let the idea die, and now, 24 years after the original film’s release, Gladiator II has arrived in theaters.
We had a chance to interview A Camera Operator Pete Cavaciuti ACO, GBCT, Assoc BSC about what it was like to come onto this project given both the weight of Gladiator’s legacy as well as the way filmmaking has evolved over the past two decades.
After Maxiumus dies in the arena during his duel with Commodus, his son, Lucius, is sent away from Rome to keep him safe. Years later, the province where Lucius lives is invaded by Roman soldiers who kill Lucius’s wife and sell him into slavery. Forced to fight in gladiatorial combat, Lucius catches the eye of Macrinus, who sees in Lucius a tool to overthrow Rome’s twin emperors, while Lucius sees in Macrinus a path to his revenge against the Roman general who led the attack on Numidia. Gladiator II is directed by Ridley Scott from a screenplay by David Scarpa. It stars Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Connie Nielsen, and Denzel Washington.
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David Daut 