Pedro Pascal is the latest Hollywood hunk to join the stacked cast of Ridley Scott’s upcoming Gladiator sequel, as first reported by Deadline.
The currently untitled film will be directed by Scott based on a script penned by David Scarpa (All the Money in the World). It will star Paul Mescal as Lucius, the nephew of Joaquin Phoenix’s Commodus who was saved by Russell Crowe’s Maximus in the original movie. Meanwhile, Barry Keoghan will portray a character named Emperor Geta.
Denzel Washington has also been cast in the Gladiator sequel alongside Joseph Quinn and a returning Connie Nielsen as Lucilla, the mother of Lucius. The film is currently slated for release on November 22nd, 2024.
The original Gladiator grossed over $460 million at the box office when it was released in 2000 and won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Crowe.
Pascal is riding high off the success of his starring roles in HBO’s smash hit The Last of Us and the Star Wars spinoff The Mandalorian. He’s also set to star in Pedro Almodóvar’s 30-minute gay western Strange Way of Life opposite Ethan Hawke and will appear in Ethan Coen’s upcoming film Drive Away Dolls.
The actor hosted Saturday Night Live back in February and starred in a dystopian Mario Kart parody that clearly caught the attention of Jack Black, who suggested Pascal should play Wario in a potential Super Mario Bros. Movie sequel.