Gladiator sequel finds a leading man

Ridley Scott might finally have found his leading man for the Gladiator sequel in the form of Paul Mescal.

Gladiator was released in 2000 and is recognised as one of the best movies of that decade as well as a hit commercially. It won five Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Actor for Russell Crowe.

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It told the story of Maximus Decimus Meridius, a Roman general betrayed by Emperor Commodus following the death of previous Emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Maximus survives an assasination attempt and is eventually sold into slavery before becoming a Gladiator inside the Roman colosseum.

Talk of a sequel has been around for many years, but things are finally gathering momentum now, with the casting process well under way.

The Hollywood Reporter reveals that Mescal, Austin Butler, Timothee Chalamet, Richard Madden and Miles Teller all audtioned for the leading role, with Mescal now in negotiations after impressing.

Mescal is becoming a sought-after actor in Hollywood after impressing in smaller productions such as Hulu's Normal People and the feature, Aftersun.

Scott is currently working on a movie about Napoleon, which actually stars Gladiator actor Joaquin Phoenix. After production ends on that, he will be ready to dive into Gladiator 2.

What will the Gladiator sequel be about?

The have been several scripts drafted for the Gladiator sequel over the years, including an outrageous one developed by Nick Cave that would have seen Maximus resurrected as an immortal warrior who fights in historical events like World War II and the Vietnam War.

In his script, Maximus would have been tasked with assasinating Jesus Christ at the behest of the Roman Empire.

Cave's script was rejected.

In reality, the belief is that Gladiator 2 will focus on the character of Lucius from the first movie. The son of Lucilla and nephew of Commodus, he struck a bond with Maximus, who may or may not be his father.

It is unclear at this point whether Crowe will appear as Maximus following his death at the end of Gladiator, but it is possible he could feature in flashbacks as the story focuses on Lucius' conception.