We are most definitely entertained.The Hollywood Reporterhas reported thatBarry Keoghan,the Academy Award-nominated actor, is in talks to joinPaul MescalinGladiator 2,Ridley Scott’slong gestating sequelto his 2000 historical epic,Gladiator.
Keoghan, who like hisco-star Mescal, missed out on an Oscar this past Sunday night, is set to play a character named Emperor Geta. Geta was a real Roman emperor, however it remains to be seen on whether this will be historically accurate, or just the borrowing of fact for the benefit of fiction.
Keoghan is coming into the film off the back of a highly successful awards run, including grabbing a nomination forBest Supporting Actorat this weekend’s Oscars for his heartbreaking turn inThe Banshees of Inisherinalongside his fellow nominated co-starsColin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson and Kerry Condon, while his directorMartin McDonaghwas up for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay.
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His unsettling onscreen appearances have seen him cast in antiheroic roles, or as characters who are offbeat and played with a sense of unease, as best seen in his breakout role inThe Killing of a Sacred Deer, which also starred Farrell. He is also no stranger to big budget filmmaking, having appeared in two mega franchise movies - Marvel’sEternals, forChloé Zhao, and DC’sThe Batman, in which he made a cameo appearance as The Joker in theMatt Reevesfilm. A sequel toThe Batmanwas recently announced, with Keoghan set to reprise his role.
Mescal will be playing the character of Lucius, the son of Lucilla - played byConnie Nielsenin the original film.Gladiatorshot its starRussell Croweto fame with his role as General Maximus Decimus Meridius, a former Roman general who was forced into becoming a gladiator under the tyrannical rule of the self-appointed Roman emperor Commodus, played byJoaquin Phoenix. Mescal’s character is the nephew of Commodus, and appeared in the original as played bySpencer Treat Clark.
Gladiatorwas a massive financial hit at the worldwide box office on release, grossing $457 million worldwide. It was nominated for 12 Academy Awards, winning 5, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Crowe’s role as Maximus in 2001.
Scott will once again pair withDavid Scarpa, the screenwriter behindAll the Money in the World, and who also wrote his passion project aboutNapoleon Bonaparte, previously titled ‘Kitbag’ but now going byNapoleon, which will also reunite Scott withGladiatorstar Phoenix. Paramount has set a release date ofNovember 22, 2024for the film.
