Gladiator 2, the long-awaited sequel to which Ridley Scott is shaping 23 years after the overwhelming success of Gladiator, is adding new and interesting names to its cast. If a few months ago it became known that the Irishman Paul Mescal, nominated for an Oscar for best actor for Aftersun, would assume the leading role in the skin of Lucius, the son of Lucilla (Connie Nielsen) and nephew of Commodus who at the end of the film was left As a contender for the throne at a very turbulent time for Rome, the addition of Joseph Quinn has now been announced.
The British actor, famous for playing the charismatic Eddie Munson in the fourth installment of the Netflix phenomenon series Stranger Things, will give life to the Roman Emperor Caracalla, a particularly tyrannical ruler. This will be his second big role on the big screen after having landed the leading role in A Quiet Place: Day One, a prequel to John Krasinski's dystopian horror saga that co-stars Lupita Nyong'o, and which will hit theaters in March 2024.
The Danish Connie Nielsen will also return as Lucilla, the mother of Lucius, the only character in the original film to do so, along with Djimon Hounsou as Juba, the faithful companion of the gladiator who was immortalized by Russell Crowe as Máximo Décimo Meridio. The sequel features other actors such as Denzel Washington, who returns to work with Scott after American Gangster (2007) and Barry Keoghan, nominated as a supporting actor for Inisherin's Banshees. Keoghan will play the villain of the show after playing the bad guy in The Batman.
With Gladiator, Ridley Scott took command of a film that revitalized the peplum, became a box office and critical success and won five awards out of twelve nominations from the Hollywood Academy, including the Oscar for best picture. and actor for Crowe. The sequel had been on hold for some time, Scott has been involved in several projects -the last one, his Napoleon with Joaquin Phoenix, who gave life to the evil Commodus from Gladiator- and it has not been until a few months ago that he has picked up steam again.
The script for this second installment is set 25 years after the original and is signed by David Scarpa (All the money in the world) and Peter Craig. The start of filming is expected to begin this May at the Atlas Studios in Morocco and the premiere of the film is scheduled for November 22, 2024.
