Gladiator 2 Director Spoils A Wild Fight Scene Inspired By A Real-Life Incident

"Gladiator 2" has been a long time coming. Development on the sequel to "Gladiator" began in 2001, shortly after the release of Ridley Scott's hit historical epic, and has been puttering along for more than two decades, despite hiccups like studio acquisitions and bizarre rejected scripts.

The most recent pause — caused by the now-ended SAG-AFTRA strike — doesn't seem to have ruffled Scott's feathers. While he waits patiently to resume production, the director has stayed busy working on the movie's 90 minutes of footage shot before filming was suspended in July. He also has no problem spilling the beans on said footage.

In an interview with The New Yorker, the legendary filmmaker revealed that "Gladiator 2" will include a scene in which Paul Mescal's Lucius fights a pack of baboons. The cast and crew have been tight-lipped about any of the forthcoming film's details, so the prospect of a primate battle royale should sate any fans waiting with bated breath for a "Gladiator 2" morsel.

Scott said the inter-species fight was inspired by footage of baboons attacking tourists in Johannesburg. Indeed, baboons have long been a scourge in South Africa, where they dig through trash cans, break into houses and cars, and intimidate humans. Now, they'll menace Mescal in Ancient Rome.

The forthcoming "Gladiator 2," which is scheduled for a 2024 release, follows Lucius (Mescal), the now-adult son of Lucilla (Connie Nielsen), who is also set to appear in the film. Lucius befriends Maximus (Russell Crow) in the original movie, and he'll follow Maximus' footsteps by duking it out against members of the animal kingdom. In "Gladiator," Maximum battles against Tigris of Gaul, plus some tigers for good measure.

Scott insists that baboons are an equally terrifying opponent. "Baboons are carnivores," the director continued in the same New Yorker interview. The primates are also considerably more acrobatic than human gladiators. "Can you hang from that roof for two hours by your left leg? No! A baboon can."

It's unclear if the baboons will be sicced on other cast members, including Denzel Washington, Derek Jacobi, Djimon Hounsou, Pedro Pascal, and "Stranger Things" star Joseph Quinn. For some fans, Mescal's involvement is more than sufficient. "I can tell you right now that if [P]aul [M]escal does hand-to-hand combat with a pack of baboons then best picture 2025 is locked and loaded," @galifianapkins wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.