According to Deadline, Wonder Woman star Connie Nielsen has signed on to star opposite Oscar nominee Paul Mescal in Ridley Scott’s upcoming Gladiator 2. Nielsen will be reprising her role as Lucilla from the 2000 film, where she was introduced as Maximus’ former lover and the emperor’s sister. In addition, Stranger Things breakout Joseph Quinn has also been tapped to join the star-studded cast, in which he’ll be playing Emperor Caracalla.
Gladiator 2 will once again be directed by Ridley Scott from a screenplay written by David Scarpa. The sequel is set to take place years after the events of the first film. Mescal is set play Lucius, the now grown-up son of Nielsen’s Lucilla in the first film. It will also star Barry Keoghan (The Banshees of Inisherin) and Oscar winner Denzel Washington. Further details about their characters are still being kept under wraps.
Producing Gladiator 2 will be Scott and Scott Free president Michael Pruss, alongside Red Wagon Entertainment’s Douglas Wick and Lucy Fisher. Universal also has the right to partner on the project once it is packaged, as they co-produced the original along with DreamWorks. Other crew returning from the original movie are costume designer Janty Yates and production designer Arthur Max.
The original film was led by Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Oliver Reed, Djimon Hounsou, Tommy Flanagan, and more. The film centered around a disgraced Roman general who becomes a gladiator after he gets betrayed by Commodus, the greedy son of the Emperor. The role of Maximus is often considered as a career-making role for Crowe, who gained worldwide recognition for his compelling performance.
