The initial photos from Gladiator 2 have caused quite a stir online. The sequel to the 2000 action film features an all-star cast including Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington, and Pedro Pascal, and early footage has teased another epic by Ridley Scott. The photos clearly show the follow up film will capture the essence of the initial film while also putting a lot of emphasis on their new stars. Pedro Pascal shared a photo from the film where he’s deep in battle with Paul Mescal, and it has ignited some of the same fears from fans.
The photo in question shows the two actors in the middle of an amphitheater, dirty and determined. The picture appears to show Mescal throwing a sword at Pascal, who has a look of intense fear on his face. He captioned the picture “uh oh” on Instagram, teasing that his character may be in real danger. Check it out below:
While fans loved seeing a buff Pascal battling in the film, they were not a fan of the foreshadowing. Fans in the comments all seemed to share the same sentiment: they did not want to see the actor’s Gladiator 2 character die. One fan said:
Dammit Pedro if you die again I swear
Much of this comes from the fact that Pedro Pascal seems to constantly die in his movies. Despite the violent nature of Gladiator, fans were still hoping that maybe the Last Of Us star would live to see Gladiator 3. However the caption certainly wasn’t reassuring. A fan commented:
“Uh oh” – can you please stop dying in whatever movie/show you’re in?
The fans have a point, as Pescal is starting to become somewhat of a “Sean Bean” when it comes to dying in movies and shows. His Game of Thrones character, Prince Oberyn Martell is the most notable, and is grossly killed in battle by Clegane. He also reaches a grim fate in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Kingsman: The Golden Circle, and Law and Order: SVU. He also hilariously doesn’t even make it past the first scene in Ethan Coen’s Drive-Away Dolls. Frankly, fans are sick of it. One fan said:
I think I speak for everyone when I kindly request that you don’t die for once. 🙏🏼
Depending on how closely the Last of Us show follows the video game arc, the post-apocalyptic series may not be the hope fans are looking for, either. Based on these photos, we may have to just hold on to The Mandelorian for Pascal surprising the entirety of a movie or TV series. Some fans have accepted this calling card, considering the look in Pascal’s eyes in this new Gladiator 2 photo. An Instagram user commented:
Judging by the fear in his eyes and the sword out of his hands we may have no choice but to accept 😞
We still haven’t seen the movie, so this could be a purposeful misdirection from the Narcos alum. The end of the first Gladiator has the hero die, and this film may just follow suit, giving Pascal a chance at victory. On the other hand, Paul Mescal is the central figure of the movie, and he may have better chances of making it to the end credits than Pescal. Even if the character does die on this battlefield, hopefully the actor has plenty of screen time to satisfy fans before this happens.
You can see Pedro Pascal in Gladiator 2 when the film hits theaters on November 22nd. Fans of the first Gladiator film can also revisit the Oscar winning epic ahead of the sequel now with a Peacock subscription. For more information on other buzzy movies hitting the big screen later this year, make sure to consult our 2024 movie release schedule.