The soundtrack for Ridley Scott’s forthcoming Gladiator II has an official release date. Composed by Harry Gregson-Williams, the score will be available starting on November 15. A lead single, “Strength & Honor,” has been released today.
The sequel to Scott’s 2000 historical epic starring Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix picks up where the original left off. Gladiator followed Maximus (Crowe), a Roman forced into slavery after a coup orchestrated by corrupt emperor Commodus (Phoenix) who rises in the ranks as a “gladiator” fighter with the intention of getting revenge for his slain family. Gladiator II follows Lucius (Mescal), a new fighter who idolizes Maximus and finds conflict with emperor Marcus Acacius. The film premieres in theaters internationally on November 15, then in the United States and Canada on November 22.
This score marks Scott and Gregson-Williams’ seventh career collaboration. Gregson-Williams also wrote music for Scott’s films The Martian, Kingdom of Heaven, The Last Duel, House of Gucci, Prometheus and Exodus: Gods and Kings. To complete the soundtrack, Gregson-Williams collaborated with over 100 musicians across Los Angeles, northern Spain, London, and various other parts of Europe. He also nodded to the original 2000 soundtrack, penned by Hans Zimmer, by including the original Gladiator theme “Now We Are Free.”
“Beyond the large orchestra and choirs that this epic tale called for, I felt the need to employ some unique instrumentation to help shape the storytelling,” Gregson-Williams shared in a statement. “Whether it was the sliding, discomforting strings of a baritone violin or electric cello to represent Macrinus’ [an arms dealer played by Washington] scheming and plotting, or the primitive horns that helped place us back in Ancient Rome, special instrumentation helped bring a sense of uniqueness to these characters and places.”
