Universal Pictures
Paul Mescal, the 26-year-old Irish actor who has recently been receiving plaudits for his work in Aftersun, has been tapped to star in Ridley Scott’s long-gestating Gladiator sequel, according to reports.
Mescal will star in the film as Lucius, the son of Marcus Aurelius Lucilla (Connie Nielsen) and the nephew of Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix). The sequel will be set years after the original and will follow Lucius as a grown man.
Ridley Scott, who directed the original Gladiator, will both direct and produce the sequel, as well.
Meetings with Scott for the role began to heat up once a final draft was delivered in November, with Mescal being one of the first to sit down with the director. Although Scott continued to meet with other talent, insiders say it seemed clear to all involved that Mescal clearly was Scott’s top choice following a fantastic meeting between the two.
By landing the role, Mescal not only gets to show off the strong range that earned him an Emmy nomination for his work on Normal People but also the physique the industry already had taken notice of that is needed to play the role. Crowe famously put on some serious muscle for the part, and Mescal will look to do the same. [via Deadline]
In addition to Mescal, actors such as Timothee Chalamet, Miles Teller, Austin Butler, and Richard Madden were in contention for the coveted role. Prior to his award-nominated turn in Aftersun, Mescal was perhaps best known for his Emmy-nominated role in Hulu’s Normal People.
Despite now being 85 years old, Scott remains as productive as ever. 2021 saw him release two separate films: The Last Duel and House of Gucci. He also recently just shot Napoleon with Joaquin Phoenix, which will hit AppleTV+ later this year.
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