Paul Mescal continued his hot streak by landing top billing in the upcoming Gladiator sequel. Ridley Scott is also returning to helm the Paramount project. The original installation, starring Russell Crowe, was a commercial and critical hit, raising $460 million WW and going on to win five Oscars, including Best Picture. Scott will also join Michael Pruss, Doug Wick, and Lucy Fisher as producers. David Scarpa – who is currently collaborating with Scott on the film Napoleon – signed on as screenwriter.
Mescal was recently acclaimed for his performance in the independent drama Aftersun, released last year. But the Irish star is perhaps best known for his role as Connell in the Hulu miniseries Normal People. The show was adapted from the 2018 Sally Rooney novel of the same name and went on to become a pandemic hit when it was released in 2020. Mescal received praise for his role as the sensitive heartthrob.
Mescal will not be reprising Crowe’s role of Maximus. Instead, he will play Lucius, the nephew of Commodus, played by Joaquin Phoenix, in the sequel set decades after the original. This will be Mescal’s first leading role in a blockbuster film and will likely be, to many, his announcement that he has arrived as Hollywood’s next a-lister. The original catapulted Crowe into the mainstream and won him an Academy Award for Best Actor.
There was a lot of competition for the juicy role of Lucius. Mescal had to beat out more well-known names, including Austin Butler, Miles Teller, and Timothée Chalamet. Mescal was one of the first actors to meet with Scott after a final draft of the script was submitted last December. The pair hit it off, and Mescal made his way to the top of Scott’s shortlist to star in the film.
No definite timeline is in place. But both Paramount and Scott are eager to start shooting, likely after the director releases his upcoming film Napoleon later this year.
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