JAY-Z and Frank Ocean both feature in the trailer for the widely-anticipated Gladiator II, which stars Denzel Washington, Paul Mescal and Pedro Pascal.
A sequel to the 2000 Oscar-winner is set to hit cinemas on November 22, with the first trailer for the movie showcasing plenty of Roman-era action.
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The three-minute clip was unexpectedly set to JAY-Z, Kanye West and Frank Ocean’s 2011 Watch the Throne collaboration “No Church in the Wild,” though only Jay and Frank’s vocals can be heard in the trailer.
Directed again by Ridley Scott, the sequel follows Lucius, the fictional grandson of Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris in the original), as he returns to Rome to become a gladiator in the city’s Colosseum.
Lucius is played by Paul Mescal while Washington assumes the role of Macrinus, a Roman powerbroker with a stable of gladiators. Pascal portrays Marcus Acacius, a fearsome general.
Stranger Things star Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger also star as the twin emperors of Rome, while Connie Nielsen is the sole returning cast member from the first film.
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The original Gladiator grossed nearly half a billion dollars worldwide and won five Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Russell Crowe.
Denzel Washington has a number of other projects in the works including a remake of High & Low which will see him reunite with director Spike Lee for the first time since 2006’s Inside Man.
The film will also mark the acting debut of Ice Spice, while A$AP Rocky has been cast in a prominent role alongside Washington and Jeffrey Wright.
Denzel will also be returning to the stage next year for a new Broadway production of Othello where he will play the titular iconic character.
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He will star opposite Jake Gyllenhaal who plays the villainous Iago, with the play scheduled to open in Spring 2025.
Washington’s Shakespeare experience is extensive, having performed Julius Caesar, The Tragedy of Richard III and Coriolanus on stage and starred in Kenneth Branagh’s film adaptation of Much Ado About Nothing, in which he played Don Pedro of Aragon alongside an all-star cast including Michael Keaton and Keanu Reeves, as well as Branagh himself.
