When Russell Crowe won an Oscar for his epic performance as Maximus in Ridley Scott’s Gladiator in 2000, it turned him into a big-time box office star.
In his acceptance speech at the 73rd Academy Awards, he thanked director Scott for the dream come true.
“I owe this to one bloke and his name is Ridley Scott. You know, when you grow up in the suburbs of Sydney or Auckland, or Newcastle like Ridley or Jamie Bell [nominated in the same category for Billy Elliot], or the suburbs of anywhere … a dream like this seems kind of vaguely ludicrous and completely unattainable.
“But, this moment is directly connected to those childhood imaginings … and for anybody who’s on the down side of advantage and relying purely on courage, it’s possible.”
Wise words indeed.
And so that may well be the path for 27-year-old Irish actor Paul Mescal, who has reportedly been locked in to play an adult Lucius in Gladiator 2, the adopted son of Maximus, after his own family is killed by the Romans.
Scott, who has directed a further 52 films including the Alien and Blade Runner franchises, and more recently The Last Duel, saw Mescal as the top choice among a long list of contenders.
Entertainment industry website Deadline said competition for the role heated up in November after a final draft of the film was delivered, and it was Mescal who stood out.
“By landing the role, Mescal not only gets to show off the strong range that earned him an Emmy nomination for his work on [2020 drama series] Normal People but also the physique the industry already had taken notice of that is needed to play the role.
“Crowe famously put on some serious muscle for the part, and Mescal will look to do the same,” Deadline wrote.
Will Crowe return?
According to ScreenRant, which also confirmed Mescal as Lucius, there are few details about the sequel including how Crowe will return and the potential storylines.
But, his potential involvement “looms large”.
Let’s recap.
In Gladiator, Maximus was the commander of the Armies of the North in the Roman Empire, serving loyally under Emperor Marcus Aurelius.
When the emperor is murdered by his son Commodus, and Maximus refuses to swear allegiance, his wife and son were crucified by the Roman cavalrymen.
In 192AD, he finally had the opportunity to avenge the emperor’s death – as well as his wife and son – and he killed Commodus in a bloody, fierce arena battle, and Maximus also died of his wounds.
Maximus is believed to have had a romance with the emperor’s daughter, Lucilla, when they were young and had not yet married.
She later married and had a son, Lucius, who was played by Spencer Treat Clark.
‘I will have vengeance … in this life or the next’
So, fast-forward two decades and Lucius is an adult, who remembers with great affection how Maximus avenged his family.
“The sequel could confirm the long-standing belief that Maximus is Lucius’ father. The original Gladiator confirms Maximus and Lucilla’s prior romantic relationship, but it stops short of revealing who Lucius’ father is,” ScreenRant stated.
“Confirming that Maximus is his dad could help bring Russell Crowe back for Gladiator 2, even if it is only for a small role.
“Flashbacks could be incorporated … to have Maximus appear in a brief scene that details his and Lucilla’s romance. It could even reveal if Maximus ever knew that Lucius is his son.
“Mescal’s older version of [Lucius] could even have conversations with Crowe in his imagination. This would allow Maximus to help still guide his son even though he is no longer around,” it wrote.
According to Morocco World News, the Gladiator 2 crew is set to begin filming in May across several locations in Ouarzazate, Morocco.
Russell Crowe at the Il Gladiatore In Concerto presentation in 2018 in Rome, Italy. Photo: Getty
No hints from Crowe
In recent years, the closest Crowe has come to Gladiator is watching the film with an orchestra presentation in Rome in 2018.
He has not spoken about it and there are no hints from him.
In an almost 10-minute weekend interview with Nine’s Today on January 14 from his northern New South Wales farm at Nana Glen, Crowe said he’s constantly working, but there was no Gladiator chit-chat.
“I do seem to be constantly working … [and] at 58, to be still getting a lot of job offers coming in, and having the luxury of turning things down I don’t want to do,” he said.
He did mention he had four movies coming out this year – The Pope’s Exorcist, Kraven the Hunter, Land of Bad and The Georgetown Project – and was working on an exciting project in the second half of the year.
“I know what I’m doing for the first half of the year and I’ve got a really amazing project coming up in the second half of this year.”
What’s the big project? asked interviewer Richard Wilkins.
“I can’t tell you,” Crowe replied. “They just started the negotiation. I’ve been on it for about four or five years, waiting for it to come up but it’s one of those subject matters that nobody wanted to touch, even though it’s a really important subject matter.
“There’s been a shift politically in America, which would see something like the film I am talking about as actually being quite dangerous in the current climate … but it’s going to be a fantastic gig … a difficult character to play but that’s when it gets fun.”
Doesn’t sound like a Roman Maximus character.
Meanwhile, while Mescal’s deal is not closed, the studio has its star, and all the hard work signals a return to the arena in a big way for all parties, says Deadline.
Normal People earned Mescal an Emmy nomination, God’s Creatures made a showing at Cannes, and he has been receiving strong reviews for Aftersun, which is currently a contender this award season.
Could Gladiator 2 take this rising star to mainstream movie stardom?
In a recent sit-down in London with GQ’s Ben Allen who said we’re “witnessing the emergence of a generational talent” with Mescal, he admitted to being ambitious for bigger, more mainstream projects.
“… to do somethin’ a little bit shinier,” as Mescal puts it.
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