Gladiator II

Lucius (Paul Mescal), grandson of Emperor Marcus Aurelius and son of the "first" gladiator Maximus, lives in hiding in one of the last free cities in North Africa. But the expanding Roman Empire won't leave him alone. It only takes one massive attack by a fleet led by General Acacius (Pedro Pascal) to turn the prosperous city into ruins and the free Lucius into a nameless slave. The well-mannered captive is spotted by gladiatorial organizer Macrinus (Denzel Washington), who wants to make him the star of the Roman coliseum (until someone more capable replaces him). But gladiatorial games are not the main game Marcinus plays. The sophisticated strategist realizes the weakness of an empire ruled by two mad emperors, Caracalla and Geta, and plays a risky game in which the gladiator and also the rightful heir to the Roman throne, Lucius, his mother Lucilla (Connie Nielsen, reprising her role from the first installment), and General Acacius, her husband and the man her son hates to death for ruining his life, battle it out on an imaginary chessboard. A clash is coming, in which blood will flow not only through the Colosseum, but also through the streets of Rome.