Denzel Washington In ‘Gladiator II’ Is Not a Woke Hollywood Conspiracy. But Have You Seen The Photos?

One of the most highly-anticipated films of the year is acclaimed director Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator II.” It stars Paul Mescal as an adult Lucius, the young heir from the first film. After defying the Roman Empire, he becomes a prisoner, forced to fight in the arena. In addition to excitement over the continuation of the story, the project features a star-studded cast that includes Connie Nielsen reprising her role as Lucius’ mother, Lucilla, alongside franchise newcomers Pedro Pascal and Denzel Washington.

From the moment we heard Denzel was joining the film, we couldn’t wait to see what he’d bring to the Roman Empire. In a preview for Vanity Fair, Scott revealed details on the story and characters. Washington is “a dashing powerbroker named Macrinus.”

“Denzel is an arms dealer who supplies food for the armies in Europe, supplies wine and oil, makes steel, makes spears, weapons, cannons, and catapults. So he is a very wealthy man. Instead of having a stable of racehorses, he has a stable of gladiators,” Scott said. “He’s beautiful. He drives a golden Ferrari. I got him a gold-plated chariot.”

While many fans were excited to finally see photos from the film and speculate on how it might compare to the original, there were those who couldn’t handle a world where a Black man amassed so much power in the Roman Empire.

Before we get into the online craziness, it’s important to note that the two films are fictional stories. While some characters are based on and inspired by real figures, the overall universe they’re set in is movie magic.

This is an essential part of the moviegoing experience that some people have forgotten about. This was prevalent in the many offensive, and frankly, ridiculous posts that popped up as photos of Denzel as Macrinus circulated around the internet.

One tweet seems to be particularly upset about this one character, writing on X, “When they swap a fictional White character, their excuse is: “it’s just fiction, not real. When they swap a historical White person, their excuse is: ‘it’s just acting.’ They want to erase White people from history and corrupt our history.”

Another user who can’t fathom the idea of Black people in other periods, wrote on X, “Roman era??? Blacks ???”

These sorts of comments actually represent a minority of movie fans, because there are far more people who can’t contain their excitement about having Denzel in “Gladiator II.”

One fan who focused on a crucial detail in the photo wrote on X, “We are getting earring Denzel Washington. Generational film on the way.”

Another person is already looking toward awards season, writing on X, “And the Oscar goes too.”

Meanwhile, another user noted that they were already making plans, posting, “That image is going to sell tickets.”

One person said it all with their response to the outrage, writing on X, “Imagine being annoyed that the excellent Denzel Washington is in a film. He is one of the absolute best.”

What makes this drummed up controversy even more ridiculous is the idea that Ridley Scott of all people is trying to be woke. The 86-year-old filmmaker isn’t exactly known for including a lot of people of color in his projects.

In fact, when he was questioned about casting mostly white actors for his 2014 biblical epic “Exodus: Gods and Kings,” he famously told Variety: “I can’t mount a film of this budget, where I have to rely on tax rebates in Spain, and say that my lead actor is Mohammad so-and-so from such-and-such. I’m just not going to get it financed. So the question doesn’t even come up.”

If you’re calling Ridley Scott woke for casting acclaimed, global superstar Denzel Washington in “Gladiator II,” allow me to remind you that this director is concerned about the budget and box office. Two things that Denzel’s name will help increase.

“Gladiator II” charges into theaters Nov. 22.