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Spoiler Alert: Spoilers follow for the original GladiatorWere (hopefully) about to be entertained once again. Ridley Scotts long-awaited Gladiator II finally hits theaters next weekend, and if early buzz is to be trusted, viewers should expect another hugely engaging round of brutal combat and immaculately constructed setpieces. For a long time, viewers had no idea how Scott could possibly continue the 2000 Best Picture winning original, given that it ends with the lead characters death. But recent trailers have given us a better idea of Scotts vision for a legacy sequel (even if it does admittedly raise questions about whether hes retconning the first one).

With the new installment less than a week away, film junkies are understandably in a mad rush to rewatch the first Gladiator before seeing the sequel. But obviously, not everyone has the time to do so, plus theres an entire generation of people who missed seeing the original in theaters.

Ridley Scotts epic film Gladiator (2000) is widely considered one of the greatest sword and sandal period dramas. The film is, after 24 years, getting a well-deserved sequel. Now, fans who want to brush up on the original can watch it for free on the Roku Channel. The Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix historical tale has even cracked a list of the Top 10 movies across all streaming platforms, landing at No. 10 per Reelgood.

Gladiator won five Academy Awards in 2001, including Best Picture. It's the tale of Commodus (Phoenix) who takes power and rank from Maximus (Crowe) who is then doomed to fight to the death in gladiator arenas.

The sequel, Gladiator II, over two decades coming, will be released in the United States on Nov. 22. It stars Paul Mescal as the son of Crowes Maximus and Connie Nielsens Lucilla. Gladiator II is directed by Scott with the screenplay written by David Scarpa and...

Joaquin Phoenix is widely considered one of the best actors of this generation and the Academy Awards recognized his talent when they awarded him the Best Actor award for 2019's Joker. However, the actor has been surrounded by controversies about wanting to leave projects ahead of filming.

This year, Phoenix left Todd Haynes' yet-untitled gay romance film five days before the film was supposed to start filming, and the film was ultimately scrapped. While the move shocked the people involved in the project, it turns out he's been trying to get out of projects for a long time. In a new interview with The New York Times, legendary director Ridley Scott revealed he also tried to get out of his role in 2000's Gladiator.

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