Paul Mescal is reportedly in talks to star in a sequel to Gladiator directed by Ridley Scott.
In response to Deadline, the actor — whose breakout position got here with tv sequence Regular Individuals in 2020 — is at present in negotiations to steer the solid of the movie, which is able to function a follow-up to the Scott-directed first instalment, launched in 2000. Mescal will reportedly tackle the position of Lucius, the son of Gladiator character Lucilla.
It marks the most recent improvement within the much-anticipated Gladiator follow-up, which has been rumoured since as early as 2001. In 2021, Scott confirmed {that a} script for the sequel had been written, with the ultimate draft reportedly being submitted in November of final 12 months. “We’ve got footprint,” Scott stated of the sequel’s script in a 2021 interview with Deadline.
The director continued: “You’ll be able to’t simply do one other Gladiator kind film. You’ve obtained to observe…there’s sufficient parts from the primary one to select up the ball and proceed it”.
Whereas a launch date for the sequel has but to be introduced, it should observe Scott’s upcoming movie Kitbag, which is about to premiere on AppleTV+ later this 12 months. That movie will star Joaquin Phoenix within the position of Napoleon Bonaparte, marking the actor’s first look in a Scott film since starring reverse Russell Crowe within the unique Gladiator.
In 2020, Crowe detailed his personal concepts for Gladiator 2, telling Screen Rant that his concept of resurrecting his character Maximus for a brand new instalment was in the end scrapped as a result of “I don’t assume we have now the rights to that story.” Studies of a sequel emerged previous to that in 2018.
Final 12 months, Mescal starred within the movie Aftersun, which NME described as “one of the best British film this 12 months” in a four-star assessment. “Liable to extend the cult round Mescal, following his BAFTA-winning flip in Regular Individuals, Aftersun could also be small in scale, nevertheless it leaves a definite and lasting impression”, NME wrote.