Gladiator 2, whose shooting is imminent, will require a lot of physical effort from Paul Mescal, the future star of this sequel signed Ridley Scott!
23 years after Gladiator, Ridley Scott launched the production of the sequel! The film will be carried by a certain Paul Mescal, nominated for the Oscar for Best Actor 2023 for his performance in Aftersun.
The actor, who will succeed Russell Crowe, will play Lucius, son of Lucilla (Connie Nielsen in Gladiator) and nephew of Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix).
Lucius is very admiring of Maximus’ journey and should follow in his footsteps. He was played by Spencer Treat Clark (Unbreakable) in the first film.
To interpret this character, Paul Mescal, 27, must undergo drastic training in order to gain muscle: “Every time someone asks me if I’ve started bodybuilding, I answer: How can you not see it?”laughs the actor, questioned by variety as part of the Independent Spirit Awards.
I work hard. I hope when you see me in three or four weeks, you can see it.
“I work hard. I hope when you see me in three or four weeks, you can see it”did he declare.
In any case, his routine in the room does not displease the actor. “I like to exercise. It’s not something I dread, thank God”, he confided. The actor also humorously evoked his future strict diet.
“I imagine I’m going to have to eat a lot of chicken and broccoli, as we usually do in this kind of case. I can’t wait to get started because I like things that require structured and difficult effort, c is actually quite fun”says Paul Mescal.
The Irish comedian has 3 months to push the cast, filming being scheduled for June 2023. Written by David Scarpa (All the money in the world, Napoleon), Gladiator 2 will therefore be directed by Ridley Scott. It will hit theaters in November 2024.
Note that Paul Mescal was revealed thanks to his role as Connell Waldron in the Normal People series. His performance earned him a BAFTA and a nomination for the prestigious Emmy Awards. Will he beat Brendan Fraser and Austin Butler to the post for the Oscar for Best Actor for Aftersun? Answer on March 12!