Is Denzel Washington nearing his retirement from film? In a new interview with Empire magazine to promote his role in Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II, the two-time Academy Award-winning actor admitted that the upcoming sword-and-sandal blockbuster is one of the few roles he’s still interested in. Washington didn’t reveal how many more such roles he has in the works.
“There are so few movies left that I’m interested in making, so I have to take inspiration from filmmakers, and Ridley was a huge inspiration to me,” Washington said about agreeing to star in the Gladiator sequel.
It also helped that Washington already had a great rapport with Scott since working together on 2007’s American Gangster. Scott said: “We had a great relationship in the beginning and here we are together. He’s crazy. He’s excited about life and his next movie. He’s an inspiration. And I think we all want to feel that way at 86.”
Scott is pretty confident about Gladiator 2, telling Empire magazine, “It’s the best thing I’ve ever done. It’s one of the best things I’ve done. I’ve done some good stuff.”
In the sequel, Paul Mescal plays a grown-up Lucius, the son of Lucilla (Connie Nielsen) and nephew of the original villain Commodus, played by Joaquin Phoenix. The story begins several years later, with Lucius living in Numidia, North Africa, where his mother sent him as a child because it was beyond the reach of the Roman Empire. A series of events leads Lucius back to Rome as a gladiator, where he makes new enemies and reunites with his mother. Washington plays Macrinus, a wealthy Roman strongman who runs a stable of gladiators for sport.
“Gladiator II” is scheduled to be released in theaters on November 22nd by Paramount.