UPDATE: Barry Keoghan and Denzel Washington in Talks for ‘Gladiator’ Sequel
Ridley Scott is not showing any signs of slowing down. The Oscar-nominated director behind Gladiator is now prepping the sequel to the 2000 Best Picture winner. The movie, now in the casting stages, may be looking at Barry Keoghan for a key role.
UPDATE: Since first posting the news, Deadline has reported that Oscar-winning actor Denzel Washington is also on the dock to join the project. Apparently, Washington was initially skeptical (as will many viewers when the marketing starts), but after reading the scripts, fell in love with the part and quickly had a meeting with Scott. Screen Geek, who posted the scoop at the same time as Deadline, added that Washington will be playing a former fighter.
You may find the original article about Keoghan’s casting below.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Keoghan is the next actor on the list after Paul Mescal joined the film as the lead back in January. Keoghan’s part would be Emperor Geta, a real-life Roman emperor, despite the film not being based on real events. Scott will be directing, with the film aiming to shoot this year for a late 2024 release date. The project is one of the buzziest in town at the moment, with talent agencies throwing their best people in the ring.
Barry Keoghan is currently coming in hot following a Best Supporting Actor nomination at the Oscars and a win at the BAFTAs in that same category last month. Besides his scene-stealing role in The Banshees of Inisherin, which earned him the aforementioned accolades, Keoghan was also seen last year in Matt Reeves’ The Batman, where he had a two-minute cameo as The Joker, teasing his potential future involvement in that Elseworlds sub-franchise. He is also known for Yorgos Lanthimos’ The Killing of a Sacred Deer and Chloé Zhao’s Eternals.
Mescal, who was also nominated at the 95th Academy Awards for Best Actor, will be playing Lucius, son of Connie Nielsen’s Lucilla and nephew of Joaquin Phoenix’s Commodus in the first film. The timeline of the new story is uncertain, but we assume that 20-ish years may have passed since the events of the first film, much like in real life. Story details are sparse at this point; Scott co-wrote the script with All The Money in the World scribe David Scarpa, who also wrote the upcoming Napoleon for Scott — Joaquin Phoenix stars in that film.
Paramount is developing the untitled Gladiator sequel alongside Universal, which backed the original film, having the option to join as co-producer once the film is packaged. It will be released in theaters on November 22, 2024.
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.
