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Irish actor Paul Mescal is set to star in the new Gladiator sequel, as per several reports. Like its prequel, the upcoming movie will also be directed by Ridley Scott.
Released in 2000, Gladiator follows Roman general Maximus Decimus Meridius, who is betrayed when Commodus, the ambitious son of Emperor Marcus Aurelius, murders his father and seizes the throne.
Forced into slavery, Maximus becomes a gladiator and rises through the ranks of the arena to avenge the murders of his family and his emperor. In the upcoming film, Paul Mescal will play Lucius, the son of Lucilla.
Paul Mescal rose to fame with his performance in
Normal People
Born on 2 February 1996 in Maynooth, County Kildare to Dearbhla, a Garda officer, and Paul, a schoolteacher, Mescal played Gaelic football for Kildare and was a member of the Maynooth GAA club.
Upon getting his Bachelor of Arts degree, Mescal worked in theater and starred in several plays like The Great Gatsby, The Red Shoes, Asking for It, A Midsummer Night's Dream, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, and more.
His big break came when he bagged the role of Connell Waldron in the miniseries Normal People. The show is an adaptation of the 2018 novel of the same name by Sally Rooney. His character in the show also plays Gaelic football and attends Trinity College.
Paul Mescal received praise for his performance and earned a British Academy Television Award for Leading Actor. He was also nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie.
He made his film debut in The Lost Daughter, directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal. In 2022, he starred in Aftersun and God's Creatures. His performance as a troubled father in the Aftersun earned him a nomination for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Lead Performance.
He will next star in Foe, an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Iain Reid.
Paul Mescal to play Lucius in the Gladiator sequel
In late 2021, director Ridley Scott confirmed that the script for Gladiator's sequel had already been written and called it “a good, logical place to go”.
He told Deadline:
"There are enough components from the first one to pick up the ball and continue it."
The final draft was delivered in November 2022. After a "fantastic meeting" between the director and Mescal, the actor was declared the top choice for the role.
Gladiator was a massive box-office success, making $460m worldwide and turning Russell Crowe into an international icon. The film won five Oscars, including Best Actor and Best Picture.
Gladiator's sequel or prequel was being planned back in 2001 with Crowe expressing his desire to return to play the role of Maximus Decimus Meridius. Sadly, he was killed in the original movie, and bringing him back would be devoid of logic.
Incorporating a fantasy element into the film wouldn't work either. In a scrapped script that Nick Cave was hired to write, Crowe’s character was seen fighting in the Second World War and Vietnam.
Riley confirmed in 2021 that the sequel will be based on Lucius, the son of Lucilla, and fans can't wait to learn more about the plot.
Gladiator 2 is speculated to release by late 2024 or early 2025, and the audience awaits an official announcement about the same.
