With all of the various sequels that have been popping up lately, it’s hard to decide which ones will be good, and which ones might fall very, very flat. Of course, when the original director is on board, this could change things, which just might be the case for the upcoming Gladiator sequel.
Deadline reports that Ridley Scott is itching to get back to that colosseum for some good old-fashioned violence, this time with the internet’s current golden boy Paul Mescal as the one in all of that snazzy armor. Costume designer Janty Yates is also slated to return, along with production designer Arthur Max. The original flick starred Russel Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, and Oliver reed.
Mescal won’t be replacing Crowe, because that is an unattainable goal for anyone, but he will instead portray Lucius, the son of Nielsen’s Lucilla from the first film, who has now grown enough to be his own main character. This will be the latest of many fan-favorite projects for Mescal, who has been earning some Oscar buzz for his performance in Aftersun.
Scott, who most recently directed a different type of violent Italian-adjacent drama film (House Of Gucci) will return to lead the project after announcing that he was working on a script for the sequel in 2021, over two decades since the original film was released. Scott recently wrapped filming on the Apple TV film Napoleon, where he reunited with Phoenix, which is expected to be released this year.