Everything you need to know about the soundtrack to Gladiator II
15 November 2024, 11:27 | Updated: 16 November 2024, 21:20
The much-anticipated ‘Gladiator’ sequel has just hit cinemas. Here’s everything you need to know about its composer and soundtrack.
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24 years since the release of Gladiator and Hans Zimmer’s iconic score, director Ridley Scott has followed up with a hotly-anticipated sequel.
Paul Mescal stars in Gladiator II as Lucius, former heir to the Roman Empire. Lucius becomes a gladiator after the Roman army invades his home and attempts to return the glory of Rome to its people.
Hans Zimmer and Lisa Gerrard collaborated on the original soundtrack, which famously featured Gerrard’s stirring vocals, but have not returned to compose a score for the sequel. Instead, a new composer has joined the film phenomenon…
Read more: The 10 best Hans Zimmer soundtracks
Watch the second trailer for Gladiator II
Who composed the score for ‘Gladiator II’?
Despite the success of his score to 2000’s Gladiator, Hans Zimmer decided not to return to score its sequel.
In an interview with Curzon, Zimmer explained his decision: “It’s really very simple. I’ve done that world. And I think I did it well. And all I’d do is set myself up for either trying to repeat myself, which I don’t want to do, or getting slaughtered by critics who say you didn’t do it as well as you did the first time.
“And I want to say something about [Gladiator II composer] Harry Gregson-Williams, who started out as my assistant. He was very good friends with both Tony and Ridley Scott. Harry is family for me. He’s a phenomenal composer.
“That film is in really good hands. Trust me. Harry and I have spoken about it. He feels the old score barking at his heels a little bit. So he’s on his A game.”
Harry Gregson-Williams is the musical maestro behind Chicken Run, Shrek, and The Chronicles of Narnia, who now brings his fresh approach to the Gladiator II soundworld.
Gregson-Williams has produced a score that follows seamlessly from Zimmer's music, whilst adding his own personal touch.
What music features in the trailer for Gladiator II?
The first trailer for Gladiator II, released on 9 July, controversially featured the song ‘No Church in the Wild’ by American rappers Jay-Z and Kanye West featuring Frank Ocean and The-Dream.
Its lyrics rapped by Jay-Z, “Tears on the mausoleum floor / blood stains the Colosseum doors,” mirror the bloody deaths and battle scenes of the Gladiator, while Ocean’s vocals “Human beings in a mob / What’s a mob to a king / What’s a king to a God” reflect Rome’s social hierarchy.
Controversy was inevitable, given how iconic the original score has become, sparking fear that the soundworld of this film would be radically different from the original.
Thankfully, fears have been averted, with Gregson-Williams delivering an epic score to accompany the much-anticipated sequel.
What themes and pieces will feature in the ‘Gladiator II’ score?
Gregson-Williams, a close friend of Hans Zimmer’s, has composed new themes for the Gladiator II score.
Fans of the original will be eager to hear homage paid to Zimmer’s score, with the epic ‘Now We Are Free’ melody featured at poignant moments in the film. Lisa Gerrard – forever affiliated with the ‘wailing woman’ music phenomenon after her contributions to Zimmer’s score – returns for the sequel, and cinema-goers are certainly in for a treat!
The soundtrack is available now on Decca Records.
