After the death of Emperor Marcus Aurelius, his devious son takes power and demotes Maximus, one of Rome's most capable generals who Marcus preferred. Eventually, Maximus is forced to become a gladiator and battle to the death against other men for the amusement of paying audiences.
Joao Costa Menezes, a London-based film actor and film director, was born in Porto, Portugal. Over the course of his career, he has also lived in Paris, Barcelona and New York City.