Paul Mescal is bloody and ready for battle in behind-the-scenes look at Gladiator 2

A behind-the-scenes look at Ridley Scott's Gladiator 2 has been released – and it looks like a bloody good time.

The newly released set photos, one of which can be seen below, show a bloodied and battered Paul Mescal, who plays Lucius, the nephew of Commodus (played by Joaquin Phoenix in the 2000 film) in the upcoming pic.

The cast also includes Connie Nielsen in a reprisal of her role as Lucilla, Joseph Quinn as co-emperor Caracalla, Fred Hechinger as co-emperor Geta, Derek Jacobi in a reprisal of his role as Senator Gracchus, Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, May Calamawy, Lior Razm, Matt Lucas, Tim McInnemy and Peter Mensah. Djimon Hounsou was set to reprise his role as Juba, but was forced to drop out due to scheduling conflicts.

Scott returns to direct from a screenplay by David Carpa. Scott previously told Rotten Tomatoes that audiences will meet Lucius as a man living "in the wilderness" after being separated from his family for 15 years. The logo was teased earlier this year alongside the tagline, "What we do in life echoes in eternity."

Production on the sequel was delayed due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, with filming finally wrapping in January 2024. After being primarily filmed in Malta, reshoots are taking place in Sussex – which is where the behind-the-scenes photos come from.

Gladiator is set to hit theaters on November 22. For more, check out our list of the most exciting upcoming movies in 2024 and beyond, or, skip straight to the good stuff with our list of movie release dates.