Mescal steps into Russell Crowe’s sandals as the enslaved Lucius, in this first glimpse of the emperors and massive bloodstained rhinoceros he must defeat

The first trailer for one of the autumn’s most hotly anticipated films has arrived. Gladiator II, Ridley Scott’s sequel to his 2000 Oscar-conquering epic, is due in cinemas in November, but the promotional reel offers the first look proper at Paul Mescal, who has stepped into Russell Crowe’s sandals.

Mescal plays Lucius, son of Lucilla (Connie Nielsen) and the late Lucius Verus, who remembers watching the doomed heroics of Crowe’s Maximus in the first movie. Inspired by his courage, the enslaved Lucius vows to defeat new preening emperors Caracalla (Joseph Quinn) and Geta (Fred Hechinger).

Original film’s screenwriter in talks for sequel which will see Miranda Priestly battling a luxury brand outfit headed by former assistant Emily Charlton

A sequel to hit 2006 comedy The Devil Wears Prada is under way at Disney, with key cast and crew widely expected to return, including director David Frankel.

Aline Brosh McKenna, who adapted the original film from the novel by Lauren Weisberger is in talks to write the follow-up, whose storyline reportedly follows Miranda Priestly, the withering fashion mag editor played by Meryl Streep, as she navigates the decline of traditional print publication in the digital space.

As Pixar’s sequel unexpectedly becomes the fastest-ever $1bn movie, and with Despicable Me 4 poised to top the box office, film-makers reveal the secrets of their successes – and why adults are the new superfans of family films

Five weeks ago, Hollywood was in the doldrums. A succession of hotly tipped blockbusters – The Fall Guy, Furiosa, IF – flopped. The mood was ominous. The last time early summer box-office takings had been so low was in 2000.

Today, considerably more cheerful records are being broken, thanks entirely to children’s films. Three weeks ago saw the release of Inside Out 2, Pixar’s sequel to its 2015 animation about the emotions jostling for supremacy in the head of an 11-year-old girl named Riley.

The actor wore prosthetic teeth, nose and glasses to experiment with anonymity – but found queueing and a lack of adoration challenging

Immersive research into the everyday lives of normal people conducted by the actor Kevin Bacon has revealed some startling results: it’s not as good as being a celebrity.

Speaking to Vanity Fair, Bacon said he had long hankered after the anonymity of the everyman, so commissioned a prosthetics specialist to enable him to do so.

The Killers of the Flower Moon actor voiced scepticism about the awards circuit

Lily Gladstone has compared awards ceremonies to Squid Game, the brutal Netflix drama about a group of desperate contestants who compete in a series of deadly competitions for a cash prize.

Speaking on The Kelly Clarkson Show, Gladstone discussed her experience of the Oscars circuit, which she participated in thanks to her multiple nominations for her role in Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon.