Posted in: Movies, Paramount Pictures | Tagged: gladiator ii, Joseph Quinn, ridley scott

Gladiator II: The Inspiration Behind Emperors Geta and Caracalla

Ridley Scott and Joseph Quinn discuss the real life, mythology, and performances that inspired Emperors Geta and Caracalla in Gladiator II.

Gladiator II remains a massive question mark hanging over the fall season. The reported budget is absolutely massive. It might be the most expensive movie of the entire fall season, and if it fails, this could be the thing that sends Paramount into a tailspin that the studio cannot recover from. It's still too early to tell, but they have started marketing the movie a lot harder in the last couple of weeks. We should expect things to be pretty consistent between now and November, which indicates a massive marketing budget, making that number this film needs to clear to get out of the red, likely around $500 million. So, no pressure. Instead of one Emporer causing problems, this time, we have two, and Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger play them. The two Emporers are inspired by real-life figures; in real life, they were brothers but not twins, but actual history wasn't the only thing that Ridley Scott was drawing from when creating these roles, as he explained in a recent interview with Empire.

"They are probably the equivalent of Romulus and Remus," Scott explained. "You know, the two lunatics who formed Rome but were bred from the milk of a wolf? [Caracalla and Geta] came up a different way but were probably brain-damaged."

So, to say that these two will be a little unhinged is an understatement, and even the little footage we have seen of them in Gladiator II seems to showcase that. Both Quinn and Hechinger had some distinct inspiration when it came to crafting these roles. Quinn, who, according to Empire, was also speaking on behalf of Hechinger, cited Joaquin Phoenix's infamous role as Commodus as inspiration. He explained, "For obvious reasons, Joaquin Phoenix's performance was something that was in our minds. It was something we had a reverence for, but we didn't want to…. soil with some kind of poor rendition."

However, there were others that they drew when crafting the brothers, and some of them are not what you would expect when looking for inspiration for a mad Roman Emporer. Quinn cited Phillip Seymour Hoffman in Mission Impossible III and also said, "Gary Oldman in The Fifth Element! He has this relish for being horrible." Sometimes inspiration comes from unlikely places, and these two will be unapologetically evil. Sometimes, villains are fun because we can see their side of things and understand their point of view even if we don't agree with it. Other times, villains are just buckwild insane, and there is no rationalizing with someone beyond that point. It sounds like Greta and Caracalla are the latter and beyond redemption or salvation.

Gladiator II: Summary, Cast List, Release Date

From legendary director Ridley Scott, Gladiator II continues the epic saga of power, intrigue, and vengeance set in Ancient Rome. 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.

Gladiator II, directed by Ridley Scott, stars Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger, Lior Raz, and Derek Jacobi, with Connie Nielsen and Denzel Washington. It will be released on November 22, 2024.

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!