Paul Mescal and Pedro Pascal battle it out in never-before-seen pictures of Gladiator 2.
In photos published by Vanity Fair, the Irish actor appears as Lucius Verus, the now grown-up son of Lucilla and nephew of Commodus, who Connie Nielsen and Joaquin Phoenix played in the first film.
Paul donned a full suit of armour and leather kilt, looking very similar to his predecessor Russell – who will not appear in the sequel.
View this post on Instagram
The Normal People star then went shirtless for a dramatic scene preparing for battle against a blood-soaked Pedro Pascal, 49.
Describing his character to Vanity Fair Paul said: “He’s a very, very good general, which can mean a very good killer.”
The Last Of Us’ Pedro plays Roman general Acacius, who trained as a gladiator beneath Russell’s character Maximum.
View this post on Instagram
The actor said: “[Acacius] learned from the best, so of course this code of honour is ingrained into his training and into his existence.”
“But at the end of the day, he’s a different person. And that can’t change who he is.
Before teasing: “Maximus is Maximus, and that can’t be replicated. That just makes Acacius capable of different things.”
View this post on Instagram
Denzel Washington, 69, was also pictured for the first time as Macrinus, dripping in gold as his character plays a wealthy arms dealer who lives lavishly and keeps gladiators for sport.
It had been rumoured for years, that the sequel would centre on Lucius (Paul), the nephew of Commodus and son of Maximus’ former lover Lucilla (Connie Nielsen).
The sequel will be set after Maximus’ death, following Lucius, who has long thought that his mother is dead only to catch sight of her when he is brought to Rome as a slave.
Gladiator 2, which will be released later this year, has a star-studded cast – including Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn and Connie Nielson.
Connie will reprise her role from the first film and play Lucius’ mother, while it’s been reported that Derek Jacobi will reprise his role as Gracchus.
Meanwhile, May Calamawy, Lior Raz, Peter Mensah and Matt Lucas are also rumoured cast members.
Speaking to Esquire UK last August, Paul admitted he was “stressed” about taking on such a big role.
“I can’t tell you how stressed I am talking about that film in particular because it’s definitely the biggest one I’ve done,” he confessed.
“I feel really excited but it’s difficult to get away from the legacy of the film a bit.
“I think it’s really well written and it pays homage to the first one, but it’s very much something that I think I can step into and make comfortably my own.”
