Pedro Pascal is Ridley Scott’s Latest Recruit for the ‘Gladiator’ Sequel
The ‘Mandalorian’ and ‘The Last of Us’ star is just the latest name to join the cast of the Roman epic, with Paul Mescal, Barry Keoghan and Denzel Washington already aboard.
Pedro Pascal in 'The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent.' Photo: Katalin Vermes/Lionsgate.
Like a general assembling an army, Ridley Scott has been busy gathering the acting troops he needs for his ‘Gladiator’ sequel. And the latest recruit is someone who already has quite the pop cultural cache. Pedro Pascal, currently best known for ‘The Mandalorian’ and ‘The Last of Us’, is now aboard the movie.
He’s just the latest name to sign up for the much anticipated (and long gestating) epic, which will continue the story Scott began in the 2000 original, albeit with a different character.
Gladiator II
Years after witnessing the death of the revered hero Maximus at the hands of his uncle, Lucius is forced to enter the Colosseum after his home is conquered by the... Read the Plot
What do we know about the ‘Gladiator’ sequel so far?
The original, of course, told the story of Roman General Maximus (played by Russell Crowe), betrayed by his rulers and thrown into life as a gladiator. But even as he fights for his life, he ends up getting revenge on those who wronged him.
As for the sequel, it’ll shift the story forward to focus on Lucius.
He, you may recall, was the son of Lucilla (Connie Nielsen, who is returning for the sequel) and the nephew of Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix), the son of Roman leader Marcus Aurelius who murdered his father and seized the throne. Commodus wound up in the gladiator ring with Maximus who, though mortally wounded, skewered the emperor before fading into the great. Maximus saved the Lucius and Lucilla while avenging his own family and left a strong impression on the young boy.
‘Aftersun’s Paul Mescal is starring as the adult Lucius, while ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’s Barry Keoghan, meanwhile, is playing the primary antagonist, Roman Emperor Geta (a fictional take on a real-life ruler). We can certainly see Keoghan as a Commodus-style troublemaker.
And that’s without mentioning the other big star draw for the new movie –– ‘Gladiator 2’ also marks Scott’s reunion with ‘American Gangster’s Denzel Washington, though again his role is being kept quiet beyond it being described as “bad-ass”.
Joseph Quinn as Eddie Munson in 'Stranger Things.' Photo Courtesy of Netflix © 2022.
Related Article: Connie Nielsen to Return as Lucilla For Ridley Scott’s Gladiator Sequel
More recently, ‘Stranger Things’ Joseph Quinn also joined the movie in an unknown role, and Djimon Hounsou is expected to return as Juba, a gladiator who befriended Maximus.
As for Pascal? His part, according to Deadline, remains a mystery for now. But we are wary of him being anywhere near arenas of conflict after what happened to his character Oberyn Martell in ‘Game of Thrones’. We won’t go into major spoilers in case you’re still catching up on the show (even if it finished in 2019, but to sum up… ouch).
Scott has the original movie’s costume designer Janty Yates and production designer Arthur Max, along with cinematographer John Mathieson, and the cameras are rolling.
Paramount is aiming to have this on in theaters on November 22nd, 2024.
Russell Crowe in 'Gladiator.' Photo by Karine Weinberger/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images.
Other Movies Similar to ‘Gladiator:’
- 'Spartacus' (1960)
- 'Excalibur' (1981)
- 'Braveheart' (1995)
- 'Troy' (2004)
- 'Kingdom of Heaven' (2005)
- '300' (2007)
- 'Centurion' (2010)
- 'The Eagle' (2011)
- 'Pompeii' (2014)
- ‘The Tragedy of Macbeth' (2021)
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