Witness the Buffening of Paul Mescal For 'Gladiator 2'

This year, we're all thinking about the Roman Empire. The upcoming Gladiator sequel starring Paul Mescal (!), Denzel Washington (!!), and Pedro Pascal (!!!), will soon take up all of our brain space. After the first set photos showed Mescal in full armor, I felt a sudden urge to learn about Roman aqueducts, politics, outfits, and whatever else most men revealed they were apparently infatuated with multiple times a day last year. Now, I'm finally starting to get it.

Mescal was reportedly one of the first actors to meet with director Ridley Scott about the sequel. He was an easy choice for the lead, Lucius, with the set photos confirming that he certainly looks the part. For those who need a quick refresher: Lucius is Lucilla’s (Connie Nielsen) son in the original movie. Back then, the character was a young child whose life was saved by Maximus (Russell Crowe) after the final battle. The sequel takes place years after the first film ended, when Lucius is all grown up and ready to embark on his own journey. The official plot has not been released, but from the sound of things, the next Gladiator will largely follow Lucius's life as an adult in Ancient Rome.

Mescal is also getting absolutely ripped. In fact, the man is suddenly so damn swole that people can't help but comment on his transformation. "With films like this and superhero films, there is sometimes a focus on that," Mescal told The Hollywood Reporter. "I don’t find that interesting. Of course, there’s a physical robustness required for the character, but past that, I’m not interested. This guy’s got to fight and got to be a beast. And whatever that looks and feels like is right for me is what it’s going to be."

Neither Pascal nor Washington’s roles have not been announced yet, but a source close to the project said Washington was excited about playing the “badass role” that was crafted with him in mind. Gladiator 2 will debut on November 22, 2024 release date—barring any setbacks—so it'll be just a little wait before we can see these leading men duke it out in gladiator armor.

Still, not everyone is so excited about Gladiator returning. Appearing on an episode of the Kyle Meredith With… podcast, Gladiator star Russell Crowe revealed that he's "slightly uncomfortable" with Scott making a sequel. Crowe's character will not return for the next installment, since he died in the original film. "I have no say in what gets done," he revealed.

Crowe won the Academy Award for Best Actor following his role in Gladiator, which went on to gross half a billion dollars at the box office. "I reflect back [on] the age I was when I made that film and all the things that came after it and the doors that that particular movie opened for me,” he continued. “So there’s definitely a tinge—and this is just being purely honest—a tinge of melancholy, tinge of jealousy."

You know what else sounds "slight uncomfortable?" Eight cameras. According to Joseph Quinn (Stranger Things)—who stars as co-emperor Caracalla in Gladiator II—Scott often had eight cameras running on set for just a single scene. “I was like, ‘Eight cameras?’ and he’s like, ‘You gotta know where to fucking put ’em,'” Quinn said in a recent interview. “Clearly he does."

“The set of Gladiator II is a wonder to bear witness to,” Quinn continued. “You know that Rutger Hauer speech at the end of Blade Runner? ‘I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe,’ that’s what it felt like, just seeing it all. That’s what $300 million gets you.”

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