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Barry Keoghan and Denzel Washington tipped to star alongside Paul Mescal in Gladiator sequel
Oscar nominee Barry Keoghan and Hollywood legend Denzel Washington are being lined up to join Paul Mescal, who will play the lead role in the sequel of Gladiator, Deadline are reporting.
Mescal (26) will hold the lead role in the second instalment of the Oscar-winning flick, and Ridley Scott will also return to direct and produce.
Gladiator won five Academy Awards and was nominated for 12 in 2000, and the roll will undoubtedly be the biggest in Mescal’s meteoric rise since starring in Normal People in 2020.
Scott began meeting with prospective actors to fill the lead role in recent months and while the famed director met with other talent after Mescal, it was clear that the Kildare native was his leading pick after a meeting between the two was described as “fantastic”.
Paul will play Lucius, the son of Russell Crowe’s love interest Lucilla in the original, as the sequel will be set years after Maximus Decimus Meridius met his end following a battle in the Colosseum.
It is not yet known what role Denzel Washington will occupy in his first reunion with Scott since American Gangster, but deadline are reporting he is the latest star to sign on for the project, which is likely to begin filming in June.
Barry Keoghan is set to play a fictional version of the real-life Roman Emperor Geta on the big screen, according to entertainment website Giant Freakin Robot.
Also known as Publius Septimius Geta, the emperor ruled Rome between 209AD to 211AD and was notorious for his raging temper. It is believed that Keoghan will play the evil villian in the flick.
Barry has yet to confirm his role in the Gladiator sequel and while there are few known details about the blockbuster, filming is expected to begin at the start of June.
The sequel will come close to a quarter century after the original grossed $460m in box office sales.
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