Audiences haven’t even witnessed Paul Mescal‘s performance in Gladiator II yet, but Ridley Scott is already teaming up with the rising star for a new project. Mescal plays Lucius in Gladiator II, the son of Lucilla (Connie Nielson) and Maximus Decimus Meridius (Russel Crowe), who fled from Rome and developed a deep hatred of the Roman army. After being enslaved, Lucius finds himself fighting in the same Colosseum as his father once did, entertaining the people of Rome at the whims of the sadistic Emperors Geta (Joseph Quinn) and Caracala (Fred Hechinger).
Speaking to Entertainment Tonight to promote Gladiator II, Paul Mescal accidentally let slip that he and Ridley Scott have already begun working on their next collaboration together. Variety has now confirmed that Mescal is starring in Scott’s next film, which isn’t Gladiator III (yet). Mescal is playing the lead role in The Dog Stars, an apocalyptic thriller that takes place after a pandemic has wiped out much of the population. Mark L. Smith (The Revenant) wrote the script, based on Peter Heller’s novel of the same name. The synopsis, per Variety:
The film follows a civilian pilot lives a lonely life on an abandoned Colorado airbase with his dog and a tough ex-marine, in a near future where an unnamed pandemic has decimated American society. The two men couldn’t be more mismatched but depend on each other to fend off roaming invaders. When a random transmission beams through the radio of his 1956 Cessna, the voice ignites a hope deep inside the pilot that a better life exists outside their tightly controlled perimeter. Risking everything, he flies past his point of no return and follows its static-broken trail.
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While discussing his casting process for Gladiator II (which involved Ridley Scott binge-watching Normal People), Mescal teased a couple of movies that might’ve influenced their next project. “Ridley watches everything,” Mescal said. “Like, we were talking about a film that we’re hopefully gonna make at a certain point, and I was talking about references and spoke to him on a Monday and then rang him again on a Wednesday, and he already watched the two films.”
Ridley Scott Wants to Make Many More Gladiator Movies
While Paul Mescal is prepping for his new movie with Ridley Scott, the director himself has several upcoming projects in the development pipeline. Scott has already made it clear he hopes to direct Gladiator III in the future (hopefully without the 24-year wait). But, he doesn’t want to stop there. “I think there’ll be a third one for sure,” the director began, doubling down on his prior comments. But, Scott then shocked the journalist and fans by revealing:
“Well, there may be more!”
Once Gladiator II releases in theaters later this month, audiences will have a better idea of where a third Gladiator installment could go. Many are expecting Lucius to die at the end of the sequel, in the same way Maximus did in the original Gladiator. However, that ending could also be too obvious, and, in copying the original, might detract from the necessity of making a sequel.
Whatever happens, Paul Mescal declared that he’d love to return for a third (or fourth) Gladiator movie. Avoiding spoilers about Gladiator II, Mescal said, “Whatever this man wants to do, sign me up. Happily. Happily. Happily.” Mescal is joined by a star-studded cast for Gladiator II, which also includes Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, the aforementioned Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger, Derek Jacobi, Rory McCann, Matt Lucas, and more. The early reviews for Gladiator II have already been released online, and promise a sequel that more than delivers on the hype, with phenomenal performances from Washington, Mescal, and Pascal.
- Release Date
- November 22, 2024
- Cast
- Paul Mescal , Pedro Pascal , Denzel Washington , Connie Nielsen , Joseph Quinn , Fred Hechinger , Derek Jacobi , May Calamawy , Peter Mensah , Matt Lucas , Alexander Karim , Tim McInnerny , Lee Charles , Chidi Ajufo , Alfie Tempest , Riana Duce , Chi Lewis Parry , Paul Candelent , Hadrian Howard , Alexander Simkin , Mikhail Basmadjian , Matthew Charlery-Smith , Maxime Durand , Lior Raz