‘Gladiator’ Sequel Taps Paul Mescal To Lead
Ridley Scott was not messing around when he talked about making a Gladiator sequel soon. The script is now done, the movie is beginning pre-production, and the cast is starting to assemble.
Deadline is reporting that Paul Mescal (Normal People, Aftersun) is in negotiations to play the lead role in the sequel, which would be centered around Lucius, son of Lucilla (Connie Nielsen) and nephew of Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix). The role has been one of the most sought-after in town over the past few weeks, as Puck News first reported a few days ago and Deadline is now confirming.
Scott has been hosting meetings ever since the final draft was turned in last November, and eventually landed on Mescal, one of the first to chat with the director (and reportedly his top pick since the meeting was over). According to The Hollywood Reporter‘s Borys Kit, Miles Teller, Austin Butler, Richard Madden, and Timothée Chalamet all were up for the part at some point.
Mescal is an Emmy-nominated actor for the show Normal People, and was last seen in the critically-acclaimed Aftersun, currently playing in theaters worldwide and available on PVOD in the US. Gladiator won Best Picture at 2001’s Oscars, with lead actor Russell Crowe also picking up a statuette. Scott and Phoenix were nominated as Best Director and Best Supporting Actor, respectively.
Janty Yates, who won an Oscar for her costume designs in the first movie, is also returning for the sequel, as is Arthur Max, the Oscar-nominated production designer. The script was written by David Scarpa (All the Money in the World). Scott is also producing via Scott Free, along with Michael Pruss; Doug Wick and Lucy Fisher produce via Red Wagon Entertainment. The untitled Gladiator sequel was to be co-financed between Universal and DreamWorks; the latter dropped out early on, but another partner may be picked up by the former once the package has been assembled. Paramount is developing.
Scott is currently in post-production of the upcoming Napoleon, which stars Joaquin Phoenix and will likely target a late 2023 release.
Miguel Fernández is a Spanish student that has movies as his second passion in life. His favorite movie of all time is The Lord of the Rings, but he is also a huge Star Wars fan. However, fantasy movies are not his only cup of tea, as authors like Scorsese, Fincher, Kubrick or Hitchcock have been an obsession for him since he started to understand the language of filmmaking. He is that guy who will watch a black and white movie, just because it is in black and white.
