Pedro Pascal will reportedly join Ridley Scott’s Gladiator sequel film – which is set for release next year.
According to Deadline, The Last of Us and Mandalorian star will join the previously reported Paul Mescal, Barry Keoghan, Joseph Quinn, Denzel Washington, and a returning Connie Nielsen. Pascal’s role is currently unknown.
The story will follow Lucius (Mescal) – the son of Lucilla (Neilson) and Maximus (previously played by Russell Crowe) – and the nephew of Emperor Commodus, who Joaquin Phoenix played in the first film. The official plot of the movie is currently being kept under wraps.
The sequel follows the 2000 award-winning film, which grossed over $500million worldwide at the box office and won five Oscars, including Best Picture.
The original movie saw Crowe star as Maximus, the Roman general turned warrior, with the role winning the star his first academy award for Best Actor. He will not be “involved in the follow-up film, with his character having died in the previous Gladiator.
“It’s an extension of the narrative, but it is long beyond Maximus’ passing, so it doesn’t really involve me at all,” the actor revealed on The Ryan Turbidy Show. Although, he did say that he was “slightly jealous” that he is not apart of the upcoming sequel.
The new Gladiator sequel is set to be released in cinemas on November 22, 2024. Back in 2013, Nick Cave spoke of how his own screenplay for a Gladiator sequel didn’t make if off the ground, adding that he “knew on every level that it was never going to get made,” although he thought it was “a stone-cold masterpiece.”
Meanwhile, Pascal recently admitted that he nearly quit his acting career after experiencing years of rejection.
In an interview released last month, the 48-year-old provided insight into his constant struggle to make a living as an actor and explained how he was close to calling it quits before acquiring some of his most prominent roles.
“I was getting my ass fucking kicked,” he told Esquire, discussing his time working as a waiter throughout the 1990s. At the time, he auditioned for numerous TV show roles and commercials, although few materialised.
“I died so many deaths,” he added. “I guess [this] delusional self-determination, and no real skill at anything else, is what kept me going.”
Pascal is also set to star in Ethan Cohen’s new comedy Drive Away Dolls alongside Matt Damon.
