Gladiator 2’s Trailer Controversy, A Positive Sign For Ridley Scott’s Sequel

ONE element of the trailer for Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II has caused some controversy, but it was actually a great choice for the trailer, and a positive sign for the sequel.

The trailer for Gladiator II gave a great first look at the upcoming sequel and revealed some major parts of its story. It highlighted the main cast of Gladiator II, like Paul Mescal’s Lucius, Pedro Pascal’s General Acacius, and Denzel Washington’s Macrinus. The trailer also sparked a bit of controversy, even though its most controversial decision was a great choice and a positive sign for Gladiator II.

The trailer for Gladiator II was mostly well-received, but not entirely. Some have already pointed out the historical inaccuracies in the trailer for Gladiator II, and others have criticized its style of editing. There’s another part of the trailer that has proven to be the most controversial, though, and it likely shouldn’t be.

The soundtrack for the trailer of Gladiator II has angered some fans, even though its song worked quite well and actually painted a very exciting picture for Ridley Scott’s upcoming sword and sandal epic.

Parts of the trailer for Gladiator II were set to the song “No Church in the Wild” by Jay-Z and Kanye West. That choice for the trailer’s soundtrack became controversial to some viewers for a few reasons.

The controversy became so prevalent that one fan edited Zimmer’s original score into the trailer for Gladiator II while removing “No Church in the Wild.”

Despite the controversy, “No Church in the Wild” was a great choice for the Gladiator IItrailer’s soundtrack. Using a modern rap song is a sign that Gladiator II is willing to take some risks and change the formula of the original Gladiator.

Setting the trailer to Zimmer’s score would have been a safe and inoffensive option, but it would have felt just like Gladiator.

Having a fresh approach seems especially important considering Gladiator II’s story details.

Part of why the music in the trailer for Gladiator II was such a good choice is because the sequel needed to distance itself from the original Gladiator.

Though the trailer featured “No Church in the Wild,” it seems doubtful that it or any other modern song will actually be played in Gladiator II. Ridley Scott has never been overly concerned with historical accuracy, as evidenced by the fact that the original Gladiator had some glaring changes to history.

Ridley Scott would likely consider a modern rap song to be exactly the type of thing that would ruin the immersion of Gladiator II. “No Church in the Wild” works for the trailer, as it set the tone of the movie, but within the film itself it would stick out among the swords and sandals of ancient Rome. If including a modern song threatened to make Gladiator II worse or less engaging, there’s almost no chance Scott would use it. Though rap music likely won’t be played in Gladiator II, it is a great sign that the sequel will bring something new to the world of Gladiator. (Source: screenrant.com)

(ROHN ROMULO)