The first trailer forGladiator 2has taken the internet by storm, garnering over 11 million views in less than 24 hours.But the controversial choice of music has led one fan to create their own version of the trailer. WhilePaul Mescal slices his way through gladiatorsand dangerous wild animals in the first trailer for Ridley Scott’s long-awaited sequel,Jay-Z and Kanye West’s ‘No Church in the Wild’ blasts over the trailer. A section of the fan base has criticized the choice of music, wondering why Hans Zimmer’s iconic score from the first movie wasn’t re-used, or re-worked for the first trailer for theGladiatorsequel.One fan was so aggravated by the song choice, that they re-edited the trailer without the iconic hip-hop track.
YouTuberTheCaptainofGondorhas created their own version of theGladiator 2trailer with a more period-appropriate score accompanying it. Their version of the trailer was released less than six hours after the original, meaning their disappointment set in quickly, and they got straight to work on creating a ‘better’ version of the trailer. Titled ‘Gladiator II | Official Trailer (2024 Movie) 4k - BUT BETTER’, the re-edited version is slightly shorter and swaps ‘No Church in the Wild’ for an edited version of Hans Zimmer’s’Now We Are Free’score from the original film.
You can watch the re-edited trailer below:
The disparaged portion of the fan base have not been kind to the first official trailer forGladiator 2.Audiences have voiced their displeasureacross social media and the YouTube comments section in the hours following the trailer’s release. That same group of fans have banded together to support the new, fan-made trailer, believing it to be a vast improvement over the original.
Gladiator Fans React to the ‘Better’ Fan-Made Trailer
Gladiator II
Gladiator 2 is the follow-up to Ridley Scott’s award-winning film Gladiator from 2000. Scott returns to direct the sequel, with Paul Mescal staring as Lucius, alongside Denzel Washington and Joseph Quinn as the villain Emperor Geta. Gladiator 2 had been stuck in development hell for years before a script written by David Scarpa finally moved forward.
Just hours after it was released on YouTube, the re-edited trailer had over 300 comments praising the fan who made it, and wishing it was released as the official trailer. One fan wrote:
“This is a vast improvement. I swear, it’s almost like they either didn’t want to use Hans Zimmer’s score in the actual trailer on purpose, or just didn’t want to pay him the royalties.”
Meanwhile, another user declared that the fan-made trailer had restored hishopes for the movie. They wrote:
“It’s kind of sad that a fan-made trailer is so much better than the official trailer.
Terrible music choice and editing choices. The original trailer didn’t make me want to watch the movie. This one does.”
Ridley Scott Cast Paul Mescal in Gladiator II After Watching This TV Show
Paul Mescal’s starring role in an emotionally devastating series has led to the actor becoming a new action superstar.
Another fan pointed out how the new trailer representsDenzel Washington’s new character, Macrinus(a former Gladiator turned slave owner). Some fans felt the official trailer made Washington’s performance feel out of place for the time period. The fan said:
“Now this is how you do it, the soundtrack perfectly fit the tone of the movie and the way how he show Denzel acting and how he talks in this trailer is much better because in the original trailer it’s like Denzel character didn’t belong in that era. Whoever Hollywood had that edited and approved the original trailer needs to be fired and hire this man asap.”
Gladiator 2releases in U.S. theaters on August 02, 2025. Check out the official trailer below:
