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 set photos showed Mescal and Pascal fighting 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.
Paul Mescal centered his ‘Gladiator II’ training on his fight choreography, rather than sculpting into an “underwear model”:
“I just wanted to be big and strong and look like somebody who can cause a bit of damage when shit hits the fan.”
🔗: https://t.co/RXD5DOFDRy pic.twitter.com/gXcF1NTqI2— VANITY FAIR (@VanityFair) July 1, 2024
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's nor Washington's role has 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 II will debut November 22, 2024—barring any setbacks—so it'll be just a little wait before we can see these leading men duke it out in gladiator armor. For now, Vanity Fair recently released a few first-look images, which you can check out below.
First Look: Paul Mescal is Lucius in 'Gladiator II.'
See more images from Ridley Scott's upcoming film: https://t.co/WWYVKnybYX pic.twitter.com/Y1WFNN0rWJ— VANITY FAIR (@VanityFair) July 1, 2024
Prepare to be entertained. Your first look at ‘Gladiator II,’ starring Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Denzel Washington, Connie Nielsen, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger, and more, has arrived.
🔗: https://t.co/DIGAL9DVRf pic.twitter.com/KKz7IxCD34— VANITY FAIR (@VanityFair) July 1, 2024
Pedro Pascal is Marcus Acacius in ‘Gladiator II,’ a Roman general said to have trained under Russell Crowe’s Maximus.
Acacius “learned from the best,” says Pascal, ”so of course this code of honor is ingrained into his training.”
🔗: https://t.co/gAx21xnsTB pic.twitter.com/qeZXkgukVb— VANITY FAIR (@VanityFair) July 1, 2024
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."
First look at Joseph Quinn and Denzel Washington in ‘GLADIATOR 2’
(Source: https://t.co/0rnS4zFGwH) pic.twitter.com/oPiZ2pjsr8— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) July 1, 2024
You know what else sounds "slightly uncomfortable?" Eight cameras. According to Joseph Quinn (Stranger Things)—who stars as co-emperor Geta 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."
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