Denzel Washington is set to replace Russell Crowe as one of the main characters in Gladiator 2, but Washington has filled in for Crowe before.

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Gladiator 2 is finally being made 24 years following the release of the first movie, and the sequel will look a little different from its predecessor, with Denzel Washington at the helm instead of Russell Crowe.

Crowe starred as Maximus Decimus Meridius, a Hispano-Roman legatus forced into slavery by Commodus, in Gladiator, but he will not reprise his role in the second film.

Instead, Washington will replace Crowe as one of the main characters in the sequel, and he is set to play a rich arms and commodity dealer who used to be a slave and resents emperors. However, the upcoming movie won’t be the first time Washington has filled in for Crowe.

Gladiator 2 takes place 20 years following the events of the first film, keeping in line with the time gap between the two movies. The sequel will revolve around Paul Mescal’s Lucius Verus, Commodus’s nephew whom Maximus saved in Gladiator.

Lucius is all grown up and has tried to escape from his past and family ties. Aside from Washington and Mescal, the cast of the second film includes Connie Nielsen as Lucilla, Derek Jacobi as Senator Gracchus, Djimon Hounsou as Juba, Joseph Quinn as co-emperor Caracalla, Fred Hechinger as co-emperor Geta, Pedro Pascal, May Calamawy, Lior Raz, Peter Mensah, and Matt Lucas.

Before Gladiator 2, Denzel Washington Replaced Russell Crowe In The Equalizer

Almost ten years before Denzel Washington took over for Russell Crowe in Gladiator 2, he replaced Crowe in The Equalizer.

According to reports, Crowe was initially set to star as Robert McCall, a retired United States Marine and Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) agent, in the 2014 film, but the part ultimately went to Washington.

It is unclear why or how Washington replaced Crowe, but the move resulted in a successful Equalizer trilogy with Washington as the protagonist in all three movies. Now, the actor will succeed Crowe again in the upcoming Gladiator sequel.

Although Washington isn’t playing Crowe’s Maximus in Gladiator 2 (which wouldn’t make much sense given the first film’s ending), his new character will embody Crowe’s role.

Washington’s character is a former gladiator who fought for his freedom and was successful, just like Maximus.

Unfortunately, Paramount Pictures has not released more details surrounding the role, so everyone will have to wait and see if he bears more similarities to Maximus.

How Gladiator 2 Could Be Denzel Washington’s Biggest Movie Of His Career

Denzel Washington has starred in numerous big-budget projects that were significantly successful at the box office, but the upcoming Gladiator sequel could be the biggest film of his career.

More than 20 years separate the release of the first and second movie, so the hype for the sequel has been building for a while.

Gladiator is widely considered one of the best historical epic films ever made and was the second highest-grossing movie of 2000, so one can only imagine that its sequel will achieve the same success.

However, only time will tell if Gladiator 2 becomes one of the highlights of Washington’s film career.