Pedro Pascal Joins Gladiator Sequel

The Last of Us and Star Wars: The Mandalorian star Pedro Pascal has officially found his next blockbuster project. On Monday, reports revealed that Pascal is in final negotiations to join Paramount’s upcoming sequel to Gladiator. It is unclear at this point who Pascal would be playing in the Ridley Scott-helmed drama. Pascal would join a cast that includes Paul Mescal, who will star as Lucius, Barry Keoghan, Joseph Quinn, Connie Nielsen and Denzel Washington. Filming on Gladiator 2 is expected to begin this summer.

This comes as Pascal’s two biggest onscreen roles — Joel Miller on The Last of Us and Din Djarin / The Mandalorian on The Mandalorian — are on somewhat of a hiatus. Season 2 of The Last of Us is reportedly still “months away” from beginning production, and The Mandalorian is working on, but has not been officially renewed for, a fourth season..

What is Gladiator 2 about?

The Gladiator sequel will star Mescal as Lucius, the son of Lucilla, The youth was the nephew of Commodus, the weaselly son of Roman leader Marcus Aurelius who murdered his father seized the throne and wound up in the gladiator ring with Maximus, who though mortally wounded, skewered the emperor before fading into the great beyond to reunite with his slain wife and son. Maximus saved the boy and his mother while avenging his own family, and left a strong impression on the young Lucius.

“I mean, look, the only thing that I really feel about it is slightly jealous, you know? Because I was a much younger man, obviously, and it was a huge experience in my life,” original Gladiator star Russell Crowe explained in an interview earlier this year. “It’s something that changed my life, really. It changed the way people regarded me and what I do for a living, and, you know, I’ve been very lucky to be involved in lots of big movies, but the legs on that film are incredible. Here it is, it’s 2023, and we made that film in 1999. I guarantee you, somewhere around the world tonight, Gladiator is going to be showing on primetime TV. And you don’t always get that kind of longevity with every film you do, so, it obviously holds a special place in my heart.”

What do you think of Pedro Pascal possibly joining the Gladiator sequel? share your thoughts with us in the comments below!