Ridley Scott on why he cast Paul Mescal in Gladiator 2
Gladiator 2 director Ridley Scott has opened up about Paul Mescal's casting as Lucius Verus.
While production on the highly anticipated swords-and-sandals sequel remains on pause due to the SAG-AFTRA union strike, the legendary Blade Runner and Alien filmmaker spoke to Total Film about his latest leading man.
"Can I see Paul Mescal being as big as Russell Crowe? For sure," he claimed.
Exclusive: Ridley Scott heads up the cover of the new issue of Total Film magazine as we celebrate his career!
The subscriber-exclusive cover is in the mail to subs now; the newsstand cover (right) hits shelves on Thursday, 12 October!#RidleyScott #Napoleon pic.twitter.com/yjqIAixSB1— Total Film (@totalfilm) October 5, 2023
Related: Gladiator 2's Paul Mescal reveals nerves over meeting co-star
On how he initially came across Mescal's talent, Scott added: "I watched Normal People. It's not my kind of show but I saw four episodes in a row – boom, boom, boom.
"I was thinking, 'Who the hell is this Paul Mescal?' And then I watched the whole series. And then, suddenly, Gladiator 2 came up, because the script was working pretty well. And I kept thinking about Paul. And that was it."
This comes after Paramount Pictures executive Daria Cercek recalled the "electric" atmosphere Mescal created with his performance in A Streetcar Named Desire, which ultimately solidified the studio's interest.
Related: White Lotus star Fred Hechinger replaces Barry Keoghan in Gladiator 2
Elsewhere in his interview, director Scott also reflected on why now is the right time to make a second Gladiator flick.
"It didn't have a script [before]. We tried, actually, four years ago, and I chose a very good writer who couldn't get his head around it. He wrestled. He was terribly upset that he didn't deliver.
"He's a friend of mine. I said, 'You're not getting there?' He said, 'No.' That took 10 months. So it went dead. And then we circled the wagons again, coming back with a very obvious idea, and why not? There's a survivor. The survivor is the son of the union between Lucilla and Maximus."
Gladiator 2 is currently scheduled to hit cinemas on November 22, 2024.
You Might Also Like
