It has been more than 20 years since the debut of original Gladiator, and finally, a sequel is coming, but a delay is inevitable.

Gladiator 2 is among the first big-budget productions to be impacted by the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strike. Currently, there’s no confirmation on how the delay will affect its release date.

Gladiator 2 is slotted for a November 22, 2024 release. However, the date is likely to shift due to the production halt. The sequel takes place 20 years after the events in the original film and follows the journey of Lucius, the son of Roman empress Lucille and Lucius Verus, who witnessed the story of Maximus and swears to carry on his legacy.

In the original film, child Lucius was played by Spencer Treat Clark. Paul Mescal will take the lead role as the grown version of Lucius. Joining him is Connie Nielsen and Derek Jacobi, who will reprise their roles from the original film. Fred Hechinger will star as Emperor Geta, a real Roman figure, who ruled from 198 to 211. He’s joined by Stranger Things’ Joseph Quinn, who will be playing Emperor Caracalla.

Pedro Pascal has also been cast in an undisclosed role.

Russell Crowe, the lead character of the original film, on the other hand, will not return for the sequel. His character died near the end of the film. “I’m sure at some point in time they’ll want to ask me about something, but they haven’t brought anything up in a while. It’s an extension of the narrative, but it’s long beyond Maximus’ passing, so it doesn’t really involve me at all,” Crowe explained in an interview.