Highly Anticipated ‘Gladiator II’ Trailer Includes Cameo by ‘Fauda’ Co-Creator Lior Raz
by Shiryn Ghermezian

Lior Raz in the new trailer for “Gladiator II.” Photo: YouTube screenshot
Paramount Pictures released on Tuesday an official trailer for Ridley Scott’s highly anticipated “Gladiator II” and it includes scenes with Israeli actor and “Fauda” co-creator Lior Raz.
In the trailer for the action-packed sequel written by David Scarpa, Raz is seen fighting actor Paul Pascal, who plays an adult Lucius, the main character in the film. Lucius is the son of Lucilla (Connie Nielsen) and the nephew of Commodus, the antagonistic ruler in the original “Gladiator” film from 2000 who was played by Joaquin Phoenix.
Raz’s character later tells a group of gladiators, “the arena turns slaves into gladiators and gladiators into free men,” referring to Rome’s Colosseum where gladiators were forced to fight for their lives. Raz shared the trailer in a post on Instagram and wrote in the caption, “So proud to be [a] part of this epic movie.”
“Gladiator II” picks up years after the original film. Lucius is living peacefully with his family in the northern African region of Numidia, where his mother sent him as a child so he could grow up outside the reach of the Roman Empire. A series of events result in Lucius returning to Rome as a slave and gladiator, following a government overthrow and an invasion of his city. He reunites with his mother but also makes enemies along the way as he seeks revenge.
The film’s star-studded cast includes Pedro Pascal as the main villain Marcus Acacius, a Roman general who trained under the command of Maximus Decimus Meridius (played by Russell Crowe in “Gladiator”) and led the government overthrow, which ruined Lucius’ life. Denzel Washington plays a powerbroker in Rome named Macrinus, and Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger star as the twin co-emperors of Rome, Geta and Caracalla.
“Gladiator II” will be released in theaters on Nov. 22.
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