You know how a short while ago, Ridley Scott was looking for actors to star in his upcoming Gladiator 2 film? You know, the sequel to the hit 2000 epic historic drama film probably no one asked for? Well, it seems that Scott has just found his actor for said lead role, and that actor is Paul Mescal. At least, we think he’ll be the actor.

Gladiator 2: The Found Warrior?

The real question here though is: can Paul Mescal do as good a job as Russell Crowe?

The Hollywood Reporter just released a report stating that Paul Mescal is in negotiations for the lead role of the upcoming and still untitled Gladiator 2. Unfortunately, it still isn’t clear if Mescal will actually take the role. All we know is that he’s in talks for it, and that’s it.

However, The Hollywood Reporter does give us an idea of who Paul Mescal will be playing in Gladiator 2 if he does take the job. According to them, this sequel film will focus on one Lucius, son of Lucilla. He’s the nephew of Commodus. You know, that evil emperor from the first film? Based on that, it seems like we’ll get ourselves a pretty dramatic film at the very least, with this Lucius guy having to work his way up due to his uncle’s sordid reputation. And of course, redeem himself after what he did by complete accident as a child back in the first film. How so? Well, we’ll just have to find out when this sequel film makes its debut.

Unfortunately, that won’t be for a long while yet. With Paul Mescal still in talks for Gladiator 2, it’s very unlikely we’ll see it even by 2024. It’s more likely that we’ll see it sometime in 2025. So grab some popcorn and enjoy the wait with some details of who Mescal actually is.

Paul Mescal: Details

Paul Mescal photo from IMDb.
Looks like a perfect Roman Emperor’s nephew, doesn’t he?

Paul Mescal is an Irish actor who recently graduated from The Lir Academy just a short while ago in 2017. He began his acting career in stage plays such as The Great Gatsby, Asking For It, and The Lieutenant of Inishmore; performing exclusively in Dublin theaters for those plays. It wouldn’t be until 2020 though when Mescal finally caught his big break in the form of the romantic drama Normal People. His performance there earned him a British Academy Television Award, and a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award to boot.

I can see why people would like this, even if this mix of genres isn’t really to my taste.

As for films like the upcoming Gladiator 2, Paul Mescal made his debut there with The Lost Daughter in 2021. However, it wouldn’t be until he starred in the drama film Aftersun in 2022 that he got some recognition in the form of a nomination for Independent Spirit Award for Best Lead Performance. All in all, it seems like Mescal is a good actor for the lead role in this Gladiator sequel film, if he takes the job.

I know it looks like a horror film setup, but it’s actually a drama.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter