Pedro Pascal is set to star in Ridley Scott’s upcoming (but still untitled) Gladiator sequel for Paramount Pictures, Deadline has learned. Sources with the publication say that the 48-year-old actor is in final negotiations to join the project, and while there doesn’t seem to be any news yet on who The Last of Us and Mandalorian star might be playing, he’ll be in good and equally talented company, with the likes of Denzel Washington having signed up for an undisclosed role in the Gladiator sequel back in March. Ridley Scott, who directed the 2000 original with Russel Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix, is returning to direct the new film.
From a Deadline report:
[…] He joins Paul Mescal, who will star as Lucius, Barry Keoghan, Joseph Quinn, Connie Nielsen and Denzel Washington. Ridley Scott is returning to direct.
While Pascal has been a major player following his scene-stealing role in his one season on Game of Thrones, his star has blasted off following his critically-acclaimed in The Last of Us, which has become one of the most popular shows in HBO’s history. While HBO is looking to get the show up and going next year, Pascal had been weighing a number of options to shoot before jumping back in to that and the opportunity on this film was too hard to pass up.
Pascal can next be seen starring alongside Ethan Hawke in Pedro Almodovar’s short film, Strange Way of Life, which will premiere at the Cannes film festival, and will be distributed by Sony Pictures Classics this fall. Additionally, Pascal is in Ethan Coen’s film Drive Away Dolls, distributed by Focus Features and releasing September 2023. Pascal also stars in Anna Boden’s Freaky Tales which is likely to come out later this year.