Gladiator IIwill feature Denzel Washington in a major role, continuing a trend that has defined three of the actor’s best movies.Denzel Washington is one of the most beloved actors of all time, with him appearing in all kinds of iconic movies that have contributed to his legacy. Because of this, his addition to theGladiatorfranchise is incredibly exciting, withGladiator IIalready playing into one of the actor’s biggest strengths.

Denzel Washington’sGladiator IIroleis one of the film’s most interesting, with him playing the character of Macrinus. InGladiator II, Macrinus is a former slave who has become a power broker in Rome, with him setting his sights on taking down the Empire and becoming Emperor himself. Macrinus keeps a slate of gladiators, withPaul Mescal’s Luciusbeing one of them, leading to the duo working together to kill Pedro Pascal’s Marcus Acacius inGladiator II.

Gladiator II May Have Already Confirmed Its Biggest Change To The Russell Crowe Original

Three Of Denzel Washington’s Best Performances Have Been As Villains

Training Day, American Gangster, & The Tragedy Of Macbeth

Although Denzel Washington has been in many beloved films, three of his best performances have been as villains.Denzel Washington has played a villain six times, with his lesser villain performances occurring inJohn Q.,Safe House, andThe Little Things. However, Washington has also acted as a villain inTraining Day,American Gangster, andThe Tragedy of Macbeth, with his roles in these films being some of his most well-known.

Gladiator II May Have Already Confirmed Its Biggest Change To The Russell Crowe Original

Gladiator III is already in the works from Ridley Scott, meaning that Gladiator II could be the start of a much bigger story than the original film.

These three films have proven that Denzel Washington excels at playing villains, with some of them being considered the best movie villains of all time. So, having the actor play a villain in a major blockbuster likeGladiator IIhas a lot of potential, making for an incredibly exciting theatrical outing.

Russell Crowe as Maximus from Gladiator standing with two Oscar trophies

Gladiator 2 Could Be One Of Denzel Washington’s Best Villain Roles Yet

He Is Already Getting Oscars Buzz

Early reviews forGladiator IIare already praising the film, meaning that it could end up being another one of the best movies that Washington has appeared in. Denzel Washington’s return to villainy inGladiator IIcould lead to it being one of his best roles yet, as his plan in the Ridley Scott sequel seems to be much larger than in his previous villain movies.

How Many Oscars Gladiator Won & All Other Nominations It Had

Ridley Scott’s Gladiator was a critical and commercial smash hit in 2000, but how many Oscars was it nominated for and how many did it win?

Denzel Washington’s role inGladiator IIis already getting Oscar buzz, further reinforcing the idea that this could be his best villain role yet. While he is in talks for Best Supporting Actor, there have also been rumors thatGladiator IImight campaign Washington for Best Actor, something that would be even more impressive. So, whileGladiator IIisn’t out yet, Denzel Washington’s role in it is one of the most exciting parts of the sequel.

Gladiator II Official Poster

Gladiator II

Cast

Gladiator 2 is the follow-up to Ridley Scott’s award-winning film Gladiator from 2000. Scott returns to direct the sequel, with Paul Mescal staring as Lucius, alongside Denzel Washington and Joseph Quinn as the villain Emperor Geta. Gladiator 2 had been stuck in development hell for years before a script written by David Scarpa finally moved forward.