Nearly two and a half decades after the landmark film ‘Gladiator’ hit theaters, acclaimed filmmaker Ridley Scott brings the iconic Roman-era epic back to the big screen with ‘Gladiator II.’

The film, starring Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Denzel Washington, Connie Nielsen and more, is a Roman warrior story of redemption, family and nation, told on a scale large enough to rival the legacy that came before it.

In an interview with “Good Morning America,” the cast talked about making the second part of a classic, continuing the legacy of “Gladiator” and how Scott “built” Rome for the new film.

“Let’s get back to work,” said Scott, explaining his decision to return to the franchise. “It’s such a huge success that you’d be crazy not to try ‘Gladiator II’.”

“We thought about it for 24 years – not every day, it was always in the back of my mind,” he continued. “But during that time I made seventeen other films. Bigger ones. So it wasn’t really an incredible challenge other than saying, ‘It would be nice to get to it.’ And we finally succeeded by sitting at a table sat down at the table and said, ‘What happened to Lucius?'”

‘This was something I always wanted to do’

Enter: Mescal as Lucius, the son of Maximus – the main character from ‘Gladiator’, played by Russell Crowe – and Lucilla, the eldest child of the late Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius.

The ‘Normal People’ star has risen from obscurity to worldwide fame in four years after appearing in films such as ‘Aftersun’ and ‘All of Us Strangers’.

“Gladiator II” follows Lucius’ return to Rome as a slave after living his early life outside the borders of the empire. According to Mescal, taking on the leading role in the Gladiator film was part of a plan he had drawn up for himself.

“I’m ambitious about the career I want,” he said.

“This was something I always wanted to do, but I wanted it to end up in the right hands and in the right story,” he added, gesturing to Scott.

Under Scott’s leadership, the first “Gladiator” won five Oscars, including best picture, best actor for Crowe, best sound, best visual effects and best costume design.

“If you want to make an action epic, there’s no better director to do it with or a better kind of story to do it with than ‘Gladiator II,’” Mescal said.

Mescal undoubtedly had big boots to fill and succeeded Crowe as the lead in the sequel. According to two-time Oscar winner Washington, who plays Macrinus in the new film, Mescal more than conveyed the dazzling legacy of Crowe’s character.

“First of all, he succeeds,” Washington said. “I can only imagine the pressure he must have felt when he found himself behind Russell 25 years later.”

Despite that pressure, Mescal made it clear that his dominant feeling was one of excitement. “It was clear there was nervousness and anxiety associated with it because you care about the work you’re doing,” he said. “But the most important thing was getting ready to go – and being excited about it, to be honest.”

‘It’s a different Rome this time’

Chronologically, the second edition of Scott’s tale of Roman warriors begins 16 years after the death of Crowe’s character Maximus at the end of the first film.

“There’s obviously the bridge to the first film,” says Nielsen, who reprises her role as Lucilla from the first part, adding that Scott has created an “incredible story” that paints a new picture of Rome for the second film.

‘The fact is that you just see a completely different story. It’s a different Rome this time,” she said.

The Roman Empire of the latest Gladiator film is a violent regime, internally in decline, fixated on expansion, growth and perceived wealth, while simultaneously neglecting the needs of its people. In part, that decline can be seen through Rome’s ruling class.

Washington’s character Macrinus joins forces in the film with Joseph Quinn’s character Emperor Geta and Fred Hechinger’s character Emperor Caracalla – based on the historical figures and brothers of the same name – co-emperors who embody the moral depravity that has besieged Rome.

“I think a big idea and aspect of Caracalla and Geta is that they are excessive – they are where excesses die. They are a bit like rotting gold,” Hechinger said.

That decay is visible in Hechinger and Quinn’s chilling costume design, laden with garish gold jewelry, a stark contrast to the Roman people starving outside the palace.

“I have a vivid memory of putting on a few rings… suddenly I got five rings on this hand… now we’re (at) eight rings…” said Hechinger, describing the experience of building his costume with Janty Yates, the costume designer responsible for the costumes in both “Gladiator” films.

Ultimately, Hechinger said he and Yates decided that Caracalla “is a man with 10 rings.”

‘They actually built Rome’

Scott’s Rome, which he built with production designer Arthur Max, featured more than 500 extras that filled rows in a replica of the Colosseum that reached one-third the actual size of the original structure.

Like the first film, “Gladiator II” was shot primarily in Malta and Morocco.

“We went back to the same countries as the first time, because we know them like the back of our hands,” said Max. “It’s familiar territory.” He added that knowing the “lay of the land” made it easier to pull off the cinematic feat.

The Roman set that Max and Scott put together didn’t skimp on the details either. For example, the set for Macrinus’ house contained more than 1,000 pieces of painted artificial marble.

“I had never been on sets like that,” Washington said, explaining the scale of the production. “They basically built Rome.”

Mescal said that on Scott’s set, the actors are immersed in the world of “Gladiator” — aside from the cameras, of course, although he was confident that Scott even dresses the camera operators in costumes.

“It’s a total, total gift,” Mescal said of the elaborate set design. “You walk onto set, and if you can’t act in that environment, I don’t think this job is for you.”

“Gladiator II” premieres in the US on November 22.