Gladiator II producer Douglas Wick has explained why May Calamawy’s character was cut from the Ridley Scott sequel movie.
Gladiator II was released in United States theaters in November 2024. Directed by Scott, the sequel to 2000’s Gladiator stars Paul Mescal as Lucius Verus Aurelius, Pedro Pascal as General Acacius, Connie Nielsen as Lucilla, and Denzel Washington as Macrinus.
Moon Knight’s May Calamawy was originally tapped to play a character in Gladiator II; however, her scenes were ultimately cut out of the movie.
What did Gladiator II producer Douglas Wick say about May Calamawy’s character?
Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Wick addressed the topic when asked if her character was removed because the movie needed “to abridge itself.”
“Yeah, very clearly,” Wick answered. “Even as we are, we’re a long movie. So, yeah, very simply, it can’t be longer, and you have to see what works and what’s essential. Connie had a wonderful [deleted] scene where she basically said goodbye to [Pedro’s character’s] corpse, so you just always have to make choices about what’s essential.”
Ridley Scott previously told The Hollywood Reporter in the weeks leading up to the film’s release that his first cut of Gladiator 3 was 3 hours and 40 minutes long. The movie’s official runtime now comes in at 2 hours and 28 minutes.
The synopsis for Gladiator II reads, “From legendary director Ridley Scott, Gladiator II continues the epic saga of power, intrigue, and vengeance set in Ancient Rome. Years after witnessing the death of the revered hero Maximus at the hands of his uncle, Lucius (Paul Mescal) is forced to enter the Colosseum after his home is conquered by the tyrannical Emperors who now lead Rome with an iron fist. With rage in his heart and the future of the Empire at stake, Lucius must look to his past to find strength and honor to return the glory of Rome to its people.”
Gladiator II is now playing in United States theaters.
