Russell Crowe‘s Oscar-winning Roman epic is about to find a new home on Netflix. The streamer confirmed the arrival date for the iconic film, and its sequel will arrive on the same day.
Gladiator arrives on Netflix in OctoberGladiator officially arrives on Netflix on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, according to the full list of Netflix’s scheduled October releases. Ridley Scott directed the 2000 historical epic, and its sequel, Gladiator II, also joins the platform on the same day. The pair lands alongside the second season of Six Kings Slam, a live Netflix Original sports event streaming that day.
Russell Crowe won the Best Actor Oscar for playing Maximus, a once-powerful Roman general, in Scott’s original film. A brutal betrayal kills his family and leaves him enslaved, stripping him of his rank and status within the empire.
He then fights his way up the gladiatorial ranks to seek vengeance on the corrupt Emperor, whom Joaquin Phoenix plays.
Meanwhile, Gladiator II brings director Ridley Scott back to ancient Rome in a large-scale production from Paramount Pictures. The story picks up decades after Lucius witnesses the death of Maximus at the end of the first film.
Paul Mescal plays the grown-up Lucius, who must enter the Colosseum as a fighter after invading forces conquer his home.
Inside the arena, Lucius fights for his own survival as well as for the future of the Roman Empire. Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, and Denzel Washington also star in the sequel, joining Mescal in its wider ensemble cast. Gladiator II opened in cinemas in November 2024, so its Netflix debut comes less than two years after release.
Other October 21 arrivals include Emily, a 2022 Emily Brontë biopic, and The Ides of March, a 2011 political thriller. The same date brings The New Stanford Prison Experiment and the second season of Polish drama The Mother of Penguins. Elsewhere in the month, Netflix also releases Animals, Sacrifice, The Diplomat Season 4, Lupin Part 4, and Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2.
The post Russell Crowe’s Iconic Roman Movie Is About To Hit Netflix appeared first on ComingSoon.net - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More.