No one was expecting it anymore and yet a new Gladiator film is coming to theaters soon! Expected for November 2024, the film is a sequel in which we find Lucius (Paul Mescal), the son of Lucilla and the nephew of Commodus. We don’t yet know what will happen to him, but it is clear that Lucius will pay homage to Maximus, who died a hero when he was young.
You understand, Gladiator 2 takes the risk of continuing the adventure without Russell Crowe! But Ridley Scott is confident: the director is firmly convinced that Paul Mescal has the shoulders to carry the film: “Can I see Paul Mescal being as great as Russell Crowe? Of course. »
Thank you Normal People!
Speaking to Total Film (and reported by Screen Rant), the director also recounted how he discovered the Irish actor, and how he immediately fell in love with his acting skills: Ridley Scott saw Paul Mescal in the Normal People series. It was love at first sight for the filmmaker who immediately thought of the actor to play Lucius in Gladiator 2.
“I watched Normal People. It’s not my kind of show, but I saw four episodes in a row – boom, boom, boom. I was like, ‘Who the hell? Is it Paul Mescal?’ And then I watched the whole series. And then, all of a sudden, Gladiator 2 appeared, because the storyline worked pretty well. And I kept thinking about Paul. And that was it. »
ALSO READ: Universal is launching a biopic on Martin Luther King Jr.: Chris Rock directing, Steven Spielberg producing!
A promising actor
Just like Ridley Scott, it was in the series Normal People that viewers discovered Paul Mescal. It was in 2020 and since then, the 27-year-old actor has been quietly proving himself: fans were able to find him in “The Lost Daughter” by Maggie Gyllenhaal alongside other excellent actors like Olivia Coleman, Dakota Johnson and Jessie Buckley . Paul Mescal also stood out in the multi-award winning film “Aftersun” released last year. Fans can’t wait to see him again in Gladiator 2. Another year to wait!