Gladiator II is a film more than two decades in the making, a follow-up to Gladiator (2000), which starred New Zealand-born actor Russell Crowe as a Roman general who is betrayed, enslaved and forced to fight as a gladiator before dying heroically.
The sweeping historical epic won five Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Crowe, and was the second highest-grossing movie that year, with more than US$465 million in global box-office receipts.
Then the sequel got stuck in development hell, with numerous delays and false starts.
But it finally opens in Singapore cinemas on Nov 14, with Irish actor Paul Mescal in the lead role of Lucius - son of Crowe's character Maximus - and Pedro Pascal, Connie Nielsen and Denzel Washington rounding out the cast.
English film-maker Ridley Scott has returned to direct.
Like his father, Lucius is captured by the Roman army and forced to take part in violent fights in the arena, where he must battle it out with other gladiators for public entertainment.
Mescal, 28, has been a screen actor for only a few years, yet has earned an Emmy nomination for his breakout role in the coming-of-age miniseries Normal People (2020) and a Best Actor Oscar nod for playing a troubled father in the dramatic film Aftersun (2022).
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der November 13, 2024-Ausgabe von The Straits Times.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der November 13, 2024-Ausgabe von The Straits Times.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
Japan mayor regrets South Korea's absence from war memorial event
A Japanese mayor said it is \"extremely regrettable\" that South Korea pulled out of a memorial ceremony on Nov 24 to honour wartime forced labour victims, local media reported.
China's local govts step up public safety measures after attacks
The local authorities in China are stepping up safety management and police patrols following several high-profile mass killings, as the central government calls for enhanced public security, media reports said on Nov 24.
Evacuation orders set off new wave of displacement in Gaza City
Israeli military's move blamed on militants firing rockets from heavily built-up suburb
S. Korea seeks better work-life balance to ease falling birth rate
Tax incentives and subsidies for SMEs and doubling of paternal leave among measures
Manila to investigate V-P's alleged assassination threat against Marcos
The Philippines' security council will verify an alleged assassination threat by Vice-President Sara Duterte against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., a top official said on Nov 24, describing it as a \"matter of national security\".
Three days of sectarian clashes leave 82 dead in Pakistan
Three days of bitter sectarian gunfights in north-western Pakistan have killed at least 82 people and wounded 156 more, a local official said on Nov 24.
Johor aims to ride medical tourism wave
It hopes to capitalise on location, build up facilities to compete with Melaka, Penang
Fire rips through Manila slum area housing thousands
Raging orange flames and thick black smoke billowed into the sky on Nov 24 as a huge fire ripped through hundreds of houses in a closely built slum area of the Philippine capital Manila.
More Indian states and firms offer menstrual leave
Issue gains traction amid efforts to woo female voters and get more women to join workforce
SM Lee in China to mark 30 years of Suzhou Industrial Park
Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong is visiting China from Nov 24 to 29 and he will commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP), a project he helped to steer at its beginning.