The has been rounded out, with Deadline reporting that the film has added six actors to the highly anticipated sequel from Ridley Scott.
Joining the Gladiator 2 cast will be May Calamawy (Moon Knight), Lior Raz (Netflix’s Fauda), Derek Jacobi (Good Omens), Peter Mensah (Avatar, 300), and Matt Lucas (Wonka). Deadline also notes that Fred Hechinger (The White Lotus) is in talks to replace Barry Keoghan in the role of Emperor Geta. Keoghan was set to star in the film, but backed out due to scheduling conflicts.
It’s currently unclear who the six new actors will play, as most details from the untitled sequel are under wraps.
Ridley Scott will director Gladiator 2 from a screenplay written by David Scarpa. The sequel is set to take place years after the events of the first film. Paul Mescal will play Lucius, the son of Nielsen’s Lucilla in the first film. It will also star Oscar winner Denzel Washington, as well as Pedro Pascal.
Producing Gladiator 2 will be Scott and Scott Free president Michael Pruss, alongside Red Wagon Entertainment’s Douglas Wick and Lucy Fisher. Universal also has the right to partner on the project once it is packaged, as they co-produced the original along with DreamWorks. Also crew returning are costume designer Janty Yates and production designer Arthur Max.
The original film was led by Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Oliver Reed, Djimon Hounsou, Tommy Flanagan, and more. The film centered around a disgraced Roman general who becomes a gladiator after he gets betrayed by Commodus, the greedy son of the Emperor. The role of Maximus is often considered a career-making role for Crowe, who gained worldwide recognition for his compelling performance.
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