Pedro Pascal set to be next addition to the incredible Gladiator 2 cast
The sequel to the Oscar Best Picture winner has already amassed some major stars.
Man of the moment Pedro Pascal is the latest actor set to be cast in the upcoming Gladiator sequel, according to reports.
Deadline states that The Last of Us and The Mandalorian star is in final negotiations to join the follow-up to the 2000 blockbuster. The character he could be playing is not yet known.
If he joins the sequel, he will be part of a cast that already includes the rising stars Paul Mescal (Normal People), Barry Keoghan (The Banshees of Inisherin) and Joseph Quinn (Stranger Things), as well as two-time Oscar-winner Denzel Washington (Glory, Training Day) and the returning from the first Gladiator movie Connie Nielsen.
The original saw Russell Crowe play Maximus Decimus Meridius, a Roman general reduced to slavery after being betrayed by Emperor Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix). Maximus then becomes a gladiator and rises through the ranks of the arena in order to get revenge.
Directed by Ridley Scott, the film became a commercial and critical hit, going on to win five Oscars including Best Picture and Best Actor for Crowe.
Barry Keoghan and Paul Mescal
Scott is also set to helm the sequel that has been in the works for years and will see Mescal, fresh after earning an Oscar nomination for indie drama Aftersun, play the lead character - Commodus' nephew Lucius.
Meanwhile, Keoghan - who was also recently Oscar-nominated for The Banshees of Inisherin - is taking on the role of Emperor Geta. Though Geta was a real-life emperor, the sequel's story is not based on true events.
Scott's frequent collaborator David Scarpa (All the Money in the World, Napoleon) is writing the script for the sequel, which is currently set for a 22 November 2024 release date.
As for Pascal, the actor's upcoming movie projects already include Ethan Coen's crime-comedy Drive-Away Dolls, Pedro Almodóvar's Western short Strange Way of Life and filmmaking duo Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck's drama Freaky Tales. He will also star in the second season of The Last of Us.
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