Paul Mescal Claims That "Gladiator 2" Filming is Now Complete

Paul Mescal has said that filming for the Gladiator sequel is now complete.

In 2021, director Ridley Scott said that he has written the follow-up to his 2000 feature picture; by January 2023, Mescal was in negotiations to play the lead role. Denzel Washington and Pedro Pascal are reportedly expected to be in the cast. 

Fans of the first Gladiator movie have been eagerly awaiting the release of "Gladiator: Blood and Honor," the sequel to the movie. Excitedness has been created by Mescal's involvement in the production, as his breakthrough performance in the television series "Normal People" received positive reviews. Washington and Pascal joining the cast has raised high hopes for the follow-up.

Mescal joked that he had finished filming the day before when he appeared on The Graham Norton Show last night (January 19). 

Mescal's remark on making it through the filming process raises the possibility that "Gladiator: Blood and Honor" was a physically demanding or difficult production in some other way. Fans are excited to see how Mescal, Pascal, and Washington's performances will affect the success of the sequel, which heightens their excitement and buildup to the movie.

Initially, Mescal said, "Somebody's going to assassinate me if I say anything further," when Norton asked for an estimated release date.

However, the actor later backtracked and said that Gladiator 2 may be shown to viewers at "Thanksgiving this year."

Mescal said he was doing a performance of A Streetcar Named Desire when he received the call, and he also talked about the casting process for the follow-up.

Mescal noted that he had to balance his responsibilities to both projects, but he was excited to be part of such a much awaited movie. Despite the difficulties, he was appreciative of the chance to work on Gladiator 2 and excitedly anticipated its premiere.

He remembered, "I was doing Streetcar Named Desire when Sir Ridley Scott called and said, 'Do you wanna do this?'"

"I wondered if the Pope was a Catholic. Indeed!

In a prior statement, Scott discussed his decision to cast Mescal in the lead role of his next film, stating that he discovered the Irish actor through Normal People: "I watched four episodes in a row, boom, boom, boom, even though it's not my kind of show."

He went on, "I was thinking, 'Who the hell is this Paul Mescal?'" I then finished watching the entire series. Gladiator 2 appeared out of nowhere, indicating that the screenplay was beginning to come together. And Paul continued to cross my mind. And that concluded everything.

After seeing Normal People, Scott changed his mind about casting Mescal from being doubtful to fascinated. Mescal's performance so pleased him that in the end he chose to cast him in Gladiator 2.

In other matters, Mescal has acknowledged that if Gladiator 2 increased his notoriety, he would become “profoundly depressed”.

Source: nme.com