Barry Keoghan is in talks to join fellow Oscar nominee Paul Mescal in the highly anticipated Gladiator sequel, according to reports.
The Banshees of Inisherin star, who grabbed a nomination for Best Supporting Actor, is quite busy being booked for six other upcoming movies. They include a Billy the Kid film retelling and a movie alongside The Weeknd and Wednesday and Scream 6 star Jenna Ortega. Now he might grab another coveted role, as the villain of the sequel to the 2000 award-winning historical epic which helped Russel Crowe win an Oscar, Buzz.ie reported
Gladiator told the story of Russel Crowe's Maximus, a former general forced into becoming a gladiator under the rule of the patricidal self-appointed Roman emperor Commodus, played by Joaquin Phoenix. Its sequel, set years after the events of the first film will follow in the footsteps of Lucius, the son of Lucilla and nephew of Commodus. Normal People actor Mescal will be playing Lucius, while Keoghan might soon get the role of the villainous character Emperor Geta.
Read more: Six upcoming Barry Keoghan movies to watch out for after Oscar nomination
Mescal, who earned a recent best actor Oscar nomination for his role in Aftersun was asked about his upcoming role in the Gladiator sequel during a recent appearance on RTE's Late Late Show. Discussing how he landed the part, Mescal admitted that he initially thought producers were offering him the role as a joke.
He said: "It's mad, I initially thought it was a joke until I met the producers in LA a few months ago and did a Zoom call with Ridley Scott. It just happened very rapidly... I can't wait to get started."
The project is set to start shooting in Europe this summer and is due to be released in cinemas in November, 2024.
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