Rhinos, sharks and other 'BS': Ridley Scott defends 'Gladiator II' against historical accuracy backlash
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Legendary filmmaker Ridley Scott is back with 'Gladiator II', the highly anticipated sequel to his iconic 2000 movie. Fans are excited to see Paul Mescal step into the gladiator ring, but some historians are less thrilled. University of Chicago professor Dr Shadi Bartsch recently criticized Scott’s version of ancient Rome, calling some of his scenes “total Hollywood b******t,” as reported by Art Net.
This isn’t the first time Scott has faced pushback from historians. Just last year, his film 'Napoleon' drew backlash over some historical inaccuracies, such as the myth that Napoleon blew off the Sphinx’s nose. But Scott hasn’t let criticism stop him. He has firmly stood his ground, defending 'Gladiator II'. Amid the backlash, Scott has found support in his wife, Giannina Facio, a Costa Rican actress and producer who has collaborated with him on numerous projects. Facio, who first worked with Scott on 'White Squall' and has been his partner since 'Hannibal', tied the knot with him in June 2015.
All about Gladiator II's historical inaccuracy controversy
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Dr Bartsch’s concerns stem from scenes that appear in the movie’s trailers, which she feels go overboard with historical inaccuracies. One of the most debated moments, appearing just 40 seconds into the first trailer, shows the Roman Coliseum flooded with water—and filled with sharks. While Bartsch acknowledged that the Coliseum was occasionally flooded for mock naval battles, she’s skeptical about the sharks, suggesting that ancient Romans likely didn’t even know what a shark was, as reported by Art Net.
Another scene, 90 seconds into the same trailer, shows Mescal’s character, Lucius, battling a rhinoceros. Bartsch explained that while Martial, an ancient Roman poet, did write about a rhinoceros in the arena, he was referencing a single-horned Indian rhino, not the two-horned species shown in the film. Moreover, there’s no historical evidence that gladiators actually rode rhinos, making the scene, in her view, more fantasy than fact.
Bartsch also pointed out a glaring anachronism: Denzel Washington’s character, Macrinus, is shown in a Roman café, an idea that wouldn’t fit the time period, as coffeehouses only appeared in Europe many centuries later. Another jarring detail, she says, is a Roman nobleman reading a newspaper—an invention that came nearly 1,200 years after the film’s events. While Bartsch admitted that the Romans did have a form of news—official messages carved and displayed publicly—she feels the film takes creative license too far.
Ridley Scott slams Dr Shadi Bartsch’s claims over 'Gladiator II' row
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In a recent interview with Collider, Scott gave a no-holds-barred response to those critiques, saying, "You're dead wrong. The Colosseum did flood with water, and there were sea battles... Dude, if you can build a Colosseum, you can flood it with fucking water. Are you joking? And to get a couple of sharks in a net from the sea, are you kidding? Of course they can."
Scott, unbothered by the critique, has responded to similar controversies before. Last year, when his 'Napoleon' biopic was criticized for historical errors, he brushed off scholars’ concerns with a curt “get a life.”
For Scott, the aim of 'Gladiator II' seems clear: to draw viewers into the world of ancient Rome with powerful imagery and thrilling battles, even if a few details are sacrificed along the way. Whether audiences share Bartsch’s concerns or embrace Scott’s vision remains to be seen when the film hits theaters on November 22.
'Gladiator II' trailer
'Gladiator II' will premiere in theatres on Friday, November 2
