Gladiator 2: May Calamawy, Derek Jacobi & more join cast, with Fred Hechinger in talks to replace Barry Keoghan

Ridley Scott has been filling out the cast of Gladiator 2 as Deadline has the scoop on a number of new additions. The outlet reports that May Calamawy (Moon Knight) has joined the cast, alongside Lior Raz (The Crowded Room), Peter Mensah (Spartacus), Matt Lucas (Wonka), and Derek Jacobi (Murder on the Orient Express). It’s also reported that Fred Hechinger (The White Lotus) is in negotiations to play Emperor Geta, the role that was originally set to be played by Barry Keoghan before scheduling conflicts forced him to drop out.

The character May Calamawy plays is said to be quite important to the story, so Ridley Scott did a “thorough search” before Calamawy won the role after multiple auditions. You might also remember that Derek Jacobi actually appeared in the first Gladiator movie as Senator Gracchus, and he’ll reprise that role for the sequel. These new Gladiator 2 cast members join the previously announced Paul Mescal (Aftersun), Denzel Washington (The Equalizer 3), Pedro Pascal (The Mandalorian), Joseph Quinn (Stranger Things), and Connie Nielsen (Wonder Woman).

Ridley Scott will return to direct the Gladiator sequel, which has been scripted by David Scarpa (All The Money In the World). We don’t know all that much about the film yet, but Paul Mescal will be starring as Lucius, the son of Lucilla (Connie Nielsen), who idolized Maximus (Russell Crowe) in the original movie. Russell Crowe isn’t involved in the new Gladiator movie, but he did express a slight amount of jealousy about the experience Mescal has ahead of him.

Although there have been rumblings of a Gladiator sequel for many years, I honestly didn’t think 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. The original movie is quickly approaching its twenty-fifth anniversary, and it’s still just as fantastically entertaining as it was the first time around. Gladiator 2 will hit theaters on November 22, 2024.