Gladiator 2: Barry Keoghan in talks to join Paul Mescal in Ridley Scott sequel

Barry Keoghan (The Banshees of Inisherin) could be heading to Ancient Rome as THR reports that he’s in talks to join the cast of Ridley Scott’s Gladiator 2.

The upcoming Gladiator sequel will star Paul Mescal (Aftersun), who is said to be playing Lucius, the son of Lucilla (Connie Nielsen) and the nephew of Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) from the original movie. If Barry Keoghan does join the Gladiator 2 cast, he will play a character named Emperor Geta.

Ridley Scott will return to direct the Gladiator sequel, which has been scripted by David Scarpa (All The Money In the World). Scott is also assembling several of the behind-the-scenes talents who made the first movie such a success, including director of photography John Mathieson, production designer Arthur Max, and costume designer Janty Yates. Although there have been rumblings of a Gladiator sequel for many years, I honestly didn’t it would ever happen. I’m still not certain it’s a movie we need, but I’m a sucker for any type of historical epic from Ridley Scott. Paramount Pictures have already given the sequel a November 22, 2024 release.

Barry Keoghan had a hell of a year last year; not only did he receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his role in The Banshees of Inisherin, but he also played the Joker in Matt Reeves’ The Batman. In addition to Gladiator 2, Barry Keoghan is also set to star in a movie about Billy the Kid from director Bart Layton. “We’ve seen many versions of Billy the Kid on screen before,” Keoghan said. “My interest was in trying to tell a version that breaks from the facade of that cool, calm, and collected gunslinger Billy the Kid that we’re all used to seeing. I wanted to humanize him in a way.” Keoghan added that he has felt a connection to the notorious outlaw. “I wanted to step outside of the legend that was built up by the papers and tackle the pressure he must have felt from those early days,” Keoghan said. “He was running his whole life. I felt related to Billy in the sense of him being a mummy’s boy, but obviously, I took a different path, turning my circumstances into something positive rather than rebelling against them. Nevertheless, there’s a soul and a vulnerability to Billy that I think it’s important to bring, to understand him as a real person rather than the myth that he has become.”