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Highly Anticipated ‘Gladiator II’ Trailer Includes Cameo by ‘Fauda’ Co-Creator Lior Raz
Lior Raz in the new trailer for “Gladiator II.” Photo: YouTube screenshot
Paramount Pictures released on Tuesday an official trailer for Ridley Scott’s highly anticipated “Gladiator II” and it includes scenes with Israeli actor and “Fauda” co-creator Lior Raz.
In the trailer for the action-packed sequel written by David Scarpa, Raz is seen fighting actor Paul Pascal, who plays an adult Lucius, the main character in the film. Lucius is the son of Lucilla (Connie Nielsen) and the nephew of Commodus, the antagonistic ruler in the original “Gladiator” film from 2000 who was played by Joaquin Phoenix.
Raz’s character later tells a group of gladiators, “the arena turns slaves into gladiators and gladiators into free men,” referring to Rome’s Colosseum where gladiators were forced to fight for their lives. Raz shared the trailer in a post on Instagram and wrote in the caption, “So proud to be [a] part of this epic movie.”
“Gladiator II” picks up years after the original film. Lucius is living peacefully with his family in the northern African region of Numidia, where his mother sent him as a child so he could grow up outside the reach of the Roman Empire. A series of events result in Lucius returning to Rome as a slave and gladiator, following a government overthrow and an invasion of his city. He reunites with his mother but also makes enemies along the way as he seeks revenge.
The film’s star-studded cast includes Pedro Pascal as the main villain Marcus Acacius, a Roman general who trained under the command of Maximus Decimus Meridius (played by Russell Crowe in “Gladiator”) and led the government overthrow, which ruined Lucius’ life. Denzel Washington plays a powerbroker in Rome named Macrinus, and Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger star as the twin co-emperors of Rome, Geta and Caracalla.
“Gladiator II” will be released in theaters on Nov. 22.
The post Highly Anticipated ‘Gladiator II’ Trailer Includes Cameo by ‘Fauda’ Co-Creator Lior Raz first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Putin Speaks to Trump, Condemns Israel’s Strikes on Iran, Kremlin Says
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian meet in Moscow, Russia, Jan. 17, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina
Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke to US President Donald Trump for 50 minutes on Saturday, condemning the Israeli military operation against Iran and expressing concern about the risks of escalation, the Kremlin said.
“Vladimir Putin condemned Israel’s military operation against Iran and expressed serious concern about a possible escalation of the conflict, which would have unpredictable consequences for the entire situation in the Middle East,” Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters.
Trump, for his part, described events in the Middle East as “very alarming,” according to Ushakov. But the two leaders said they do not rule out a return to the negotiating track on Iran’s nuclear program, Ushakov said.
On Ukraine, Putin told the US leader that Russia was ready to continue negotiations with the Ukrainians after June 22, according to state news agency RIA.
Trump reiterated his interest in a speedy resolution to the conflict, the Kremlin aide said.
Putin also congratulated Trump on his 79th birthday.
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Sunday’s US-Iran Nuclear Talks Cancelled, Oman Says
FILE PHOTO: Oman’s Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamood Albusaidi attends a meeting with Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow, Russia July 11, 2023. Photo: Natalia Kolesnikova/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
The latest round of US-Iran nuclear talks scheduled for Sunday in Muscat will not take place, Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi said on X on Saturday. Oman has been mediating the talks.
Albusaidi’s statement came a day after Israel launched a sweeping air offensive against Iran, killing commanders and scientists and bombing nuclear sites in a stated bid to stop it building an atomic weapon.
A senior official of US President Donald Trump’s administration, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed Sunday’s talks had been cancelled.
Washington, however, remained committed to the negotiations and hoped “the Iranians will come to the table soon,” the official said.
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Iran Says Talks with US ‘Meaningless’ After Israel Attack, But Yet to Decide on Attending
USA and Iranian flags are seen in this illustration taken, Sept. 8, 2022. Photo: REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
Iran said the dialogue with the US over Tehran’s nuclear program is “meaningless” after Israel’s biggest-ever military strike against its longstanding enemy, but said it is yet to decide on whether to attend planned talks on Sunday.
“The other side (the US) acted in a way that makes dialogue meaningless. You cannot claim to negotiate and at the same time divide work by allowing the Zionist regime (Israel) to target Iran’s territory,” state media on Saturday quoted foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei as saying.
“It is still unclear what decision we will make on Sunday in this regard,” Baghaei was quoted as saying.
He said Israel “succeeded in influencing” the diplomatic process and the Israeli attack would not have happened without Washington’s permission, accusing Washington of supporting the attack.
Iran earlier accused the US of being complicit in Israel’s attacks, but Washington denied the allegation and told Tehran at the United Nations Security Council that it would be “wise” to negotiate over its nuclear program.
The sixth round of US-Iran nuclear talks was set to be held on Sunday in Muscat, but it was unclear whether it would go ahead after the Israeli strikes.
Iran denies that its uranium enrichment program is for anything other than civilian purposes, rejecting Israeli allegations that it is secretly developing nuclear weapons.
US President Donald Trump told Reuters that he and his team had known the Israeli attacks were coming but they still saw room for an accord.
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