Paul Mescal has been seen in character for the first time on the set of Gladiator 2.
In photos published by MailOnline, the Irish actor appears as Lucius Verus, the now grown-up son of Lucilla and nephew of Commodus, who were played by Connie Nielsen and Joaquin Phoenix in the first film.
The 28-year-old looked the part as he was pictured in a full suit of armour in between filming a fight scene in East Sussex.
Gladiator 2 star Paul Mescal is seen in character as battered and bloodied Lucius for the FIRST time as reshoots are filmed in rural Sussex ahead of hotly-anticipated release https://t.co/UJpvdhumYe
— Daily Mail Celebrity (@DailyMailCeleb) June 11, 2024
According to the outlet, Paul was filming reshoots for the movie, after production wrapped in Morocco.
The actor’s role as Lucius in the Gladiator sequel is the biggest of his career, and comes just four years after his breakout role in Normal People.
The first Gladiator film, which starred Russell Crowe as Maximus, was released in 2000, and raked in a massive £460 million at the box office.
It also scooped five Academy Awards – including Best Picture and Best Actor.
The sequel will centre on Lucius, who was previously portrayed by Spencer Treat Clark in the original film, who idolized Maximus.
The sequel will be set after Maximus’ death, and will follow Lucius, who has long thought that his mother is dead.
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.
According to Deadline, Barry Keoghan was previously in negotiations to play Emperor Geta.
However, the publication later reported that Barry was forced to pull out of the highly anticipated sequel due to scheduling conflicts.
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.”
