‘Total Hollywood bulls**t’ — Top historian slams Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II over historical inaccuracies

Gladiator II is finally set to hit theatres on November 22, 2024. After a long development period, Ridley Scott's film, which is a sequel to his 2000 classic Gladiator, will star Paul Mescal as Lucius, the son of Maximus (played by Russell Crowe), and will see him go on his own revenge journey. However, prior to its release, the film is already causing some heavy discourse.

A top historian by the name of Dr. Shadi Bartsch labeled Gladiator II as:

"Total Hollywood bulls**t." (Via The Hollywood Reporter)

Bartsch, who is a classics professor at the University of Chicago, has taken a problem with the upcoming Paul Mescal-starrer over its various historical inaccuracies. Having written many books about ancient Rome, Bartsch approached the film in a more critical manner, citing the scenes from the film that include Sharks in the Colosseum.

"“I don’t think Romans knew what a shark was," she noted.

One of the scenes in Gladiator II also involves a rhinoceros in the colosseum. While Bartsch did say that there has been evidence of Rhinos being in the arena, she noted that the breed showcased in the film was inaccurate as those animals consisted of two horns whereas the ones used in ancient Rome had only one.

“Martial wrote a poem in 80 A.D. about a rhinoceros tossing a bull up to the sky,” said Bartsch.

However, one of the biggest issues that Bartsch took with Gladiator II was the inclusion of printed press at a cafe. This has raised many eyebrows as the printing press wouldn't be established at least 1,200 years after the events of the film.

“They did have daily news — Acta Diuma — but it was carved and placed at certain locations,” said Bartsch. “You had to go to it, you couldn’t hold it at a cafe. Also, they didn’t have cafes!”

---

Historical inaccuracies don't bother Gladiator II director Ridley Scott

Ridley Scott's previous historical epics have all been criticized for being historically inaccurate. Last year in November, during the release of the Joaquin Phoenix-led Napoleon, many critics took issues with the way Ridley Scott presented the French emperor's life. Many pointed out the way that Scott embellished events just to fit his film.

However, these criticisms have never bothered Scott. During the press tour for Napoleon, the Gladiator II director called out French critics and historians for labeling the movie as inaccurate. In an interview with The Times, Scott said:

"When I have issues with historian, I ask: 'Excuse me, mate, were you there? No? Well, shut the f**k up then!"

---

When is Gladiator II releasing?

Gladiator II is set to hit theatres on November 22, 2024, in the United States of America. It will also release a week earlier on November 15, 2024, in other regions. The official logline of the film reads:

"Years after witnessing the death of the revered hero Maximus at the hands of his uncle, Lucius (Paul Mescal) is forced to enter the Colosseum after his home is conquered by the tyrannical Emperors who now lead Rome with an iron fist. With rage in his heart and the future of the Empire at stake, Lucius must look to his past to find strength and honor to return the glory of Rome to its people."

The film stars Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger, Denzel Washington, and more. For further updates, stay tuned with us.