Honestly I was resistant to the news that they were making a sequel but that cast is pretty compelling. I really liked Paul Mescal in Aftersun and Denzel is always great.
Yeah the cast looks pretty solid, my only uncertainty in that regard is to what degree Denzel/Pedro Pascal disappear into their respective role vs me seeing them as these familiar actors. But that might be a subjective problem
Besides that any mention of Aftersun automatically gets an upvote from me, such a great movie and performance by Paul Mescal.
I would ordinarily be way more into this, and there are things to look forward to here it seems, for sure ... but I don't think I can get past the cynicism from how they clearly want to ride on the popularity and iconic-ness of Gladiator.
All that being said, if they have a solid political plot line involving Denzel's character, I think that could make the movie for me. It's Rome afterall, history's great political drama!
And maybe it'll make the film for others too. In a post-Dune film moment, where well crafted political drama can work well, I can see this hitting a similar nerve.