Longer wait for “Gladiator 2”? Lead actor Paul Mescal is so popular that the shooting had to be postponed

Anyone who saw the series “Normal People” in 2020 should have already realized that the protagonist Paul Mescal will certainly see him again soon – on the big screen. In December 2022, Charlotte Wells made her directorial debut with ‘Aftersun’ in cinemas. Starring: a fantastically performing Mescal. It came as no surprise that he was rewarded with an Oscar nomination. But what awaits him now and what does the nomination mean for his involvement in “Gladiator 2”?

First the very good news: Paul Mescal continues to star in Gladiator 2. He recently outperformed Miles Teller (“Top Gun 2”), Richard Madden (“Game of Thrones”), Austin Butler (“Elvis”) and Timothée Chalamet (“Dune”) in contention for the role. now featured in the sequel to the historical epic. But his nomination does not leave Gladiator 2 untouched…

Gladiator 2 director Ridley Scott has postponed filming for Paul Mescal

how reported, the shooting of “Gladiator 2”, which was supposed to start in March 2023, has to be postponed by two weeks. The reason for the delay in filming is Mescal’s current job at the theater. He plays the lead role of Stanley Kowalski in Tennessee Williams’ play A Streetcar Named Desire. By the time his Oscar nomination was confirmed, the 370-seat Almeida Theater was inundated with ticket bookings and emails – all of them suddenly wanting to see Mescal on stage.

To cope with the crowds, the play is now moving to London’s Phoenix Theater – which can sell 1,012 tickets per performance. “A Streetcar Named Desire” runs there for six weeks, then Mescal has time for “Gladiator 2”. As Deadline reports, director Ridley Scott would agree with the changes. What the postponement means for the film’s release date, which has not yet been set, is not known.

That role is played by Paul Mescal in Gladiator 2

It’s been 20 years since Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator” hit theaters and won the Oscars. “Gladiator 2” starring Mescal should follow the original – but not directly, of course. Mescal plays Lucius Versus, who was 13 in the first episode (played by Spencer Treat Clark). The son of Lucilla (Connie Nielsen) and cousin of Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix), Versus has always looked up to Gladiator Maximus (Russel Crowe). The sequel, set 25 years later, builds on that admiration. Versus has not forgotten the aura of Maximus.

It is not yet known when “Gladiator 2” will hit theaters.