Paul Mescal, who has received acclaim over the last few years for his role in the TV adaptation of Sally Rooney‘s Normal People and his recent turn in drama Aftersun, has signed on to star in Ridley Scott‘s upcoming Gladiator sequel.
That film won the Oscar for Best Picture and made Russell Crowe a star. But Mescal won’t be stepping into Crowe’s toga, nor will this film be the latest prequel to a modern classic. Instead, Mescal will play Lucius, the son of Lucilla – played by Connie Nielsen in the original film – in a direct continuation of the story. Further plot details are under wraps.
Scott is producing, David Scarpa has written the screenplay, while Paramount will produce the film. Universal, which backed the first movie along with DreamWorks, has the right to co-produce the movie once it has been set up.
While details regarding the film are currently sparse, you can expect the project to be a big deal considering the prior success of Gladiator, as well as its cultural footprint, which remains quite strong thanks to the film’s endless TV re-runs. We’ll wait for more details.
Before the sequel gets made, Scott will finish up with Napoleon, which will star Joaquin Phoenix as the French despot. There’s no release date scheduled for the film right now, but whenever it arrives it will be an Apple TV+ exclusive.
Mescal will next be seen in Andrew Haigh‘s fantasy drama Strangers alongside Andrew Scott and Claire Foy, and will co-star in Garth Davis‘ sci-fi thriller Foe with Saoirse Ronan.
#Peace.Love.Gladiator
