What did accents in ancient Rome REALLY sound like? As the Gladiator II trailer drops with Paul Mescal speaking in an English accent and Denzel Washington in his American voice, experts reveal the truth

Fans have waited more than 20 years for a sequel to Ridley Scott's blockbuster, Gladiator – and now the official trailer has finally been released. 

'Gladiator II' stars Irishman Paul Mescal as a gladiator and Denzel Washington as his owner. 

Despite the film being set in 3rd century Rome, Mescal puts on an English accent while Washington speaks in his native New York voice. 

So, is this historically accurate?

MailOnline spoke to the experts to find out what the accents in Ancient Rome would have really sounded like. 

In the new film, Paul Mescal stars as Lucius, the grandson of Rome's former emperor Marcus Aurelius and son of Lucilla, who must fight for his liberty as a gladiator after being taken into slavery

It's been in development for 20 years, but Ridley Scott's Gladiator sequel will finally be unleashed to cinemas this November 

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The Roman Empire was a huge territorial empire that existed between 27 BC and AD 476, spanning across Europe and North Africa with Rome as its centre. 

Professor Eleanor Dickey, a linguist at the University of Reading's department of classics, said the Romans likely had several accents in the 3rd century (when Gladiator II is set). 

'The empire was huge, so it is totally reasonable for the film to have people speaking in more than one accent,' she told MailOnline. 

Latin was the predominant language spoken in the western half of the Empire including Rome, while in the eastern half it was Greek – but in both halves many other languages were also spoken. 

'The western half of the Empire is in what is now Italy, Switzerland, France, the Low Countries, Spain and Portugal, England and Wales, Romania, former Yugoslavia, North Africa west of Egypt,' said Professor Dickey. 

Denzel Washington portrays Macrinus, a power broker who keeps a stable of gladiators and sees battle-hungry Lucius as a promising investment (pictured)

The Roman Empire was a huge territorial empire that existed between 27 BC and AD 476, spanning across Europe and North Africa with Rome as its centre. This map marks out the Roman Empire in red at its greatest extent (117 AD)

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Today, English is the universal language, so it was always unlikely Ridley Scott would have his actors speaking Latin, Greek or any other dialect in a big Hollywood blockbuster. 

But in reality, English – or rather an early variant of it – wouldn't have been spoken in Rome at all 2,000 years ago. 

'English was not spoken in Rome at that period, nor anywhere else,' Professor Dickey told MailOnline. 

'It is difficult to say exactly when a distinct language that we might call "English" first emerged, but I don't think it could have been as early as the third century. 

'However, languages related to English (i.e. predecessors of German) would sometimes have been heard in Rome.' 

The huge venues would host gladiator fights, chariot races and executions. Here, a gladiatorial fight is depicted in Rome's Colosseum, in 'Pollice Verso' an 1872 oil painting by France's Jean-Léon Gérôme 

Bloody gladiator battles often to the death were fought in Rome's Colosseum, pictured left and depicted right in the new film  

Dr Andrew Sillett, a classics lecturer at the University of Oxford, said there's a lot we don't know about what a Roman accent actually sounded like.

'We do know that throughout Roman history, people noticed accents when listening to other people speaking Latin,' Dr Sillett told MailOnline. 

'Sometimes an accent was exotic, sometimes it was a cause for mockery. Some people tried to conceal theirs, others took pride in it and tried to emphasise it.' 

But to try to sound posh, Roman Latin speakers would have used as many open vowels as possible. 

To use a modern word as an example, they would have said 'co-fee' instead of coffee. 

Dr Sillett explained: 'It's a bit like Manuel in Fawlty Towers, "Helloooooo, how aaare yoooooou?"' 

Decades have passed, but Maximus remains fresh in the memory as Paul Mescal 's Lucius picks up the sword in the first official trailer for Ridley Scott's Gladiator II

In the new Gladiator II trailer, there doesn't appear to be adherence to these historical accuracies, but this is likely not an aim of the filmmakers. 

Although the exact plot of Gladiator II is a closely guarded secret, it's expected to be a reimagined version of Roman history while retaining some authentic aspects. 

In the film, released in the UK on November 15, Paul Mescal stars as Lucius, the grandson of Rome's former emperor Marcus Aurelius and son of Lucilla, who must fight for his liberty as a gladiator after being taken into slavery.

Meanwhile, Denzel Washington portrays Macrinus, a power broker who keeps a stable of gladiators and sees battle-hungry Lucius as a promising investment.