Denzel Washington and Ridley Scott to Reunite for Epic Film

Sources close to the production told Deadline that Washington is currently in final negotiations to star alongside Paul Mescal in the continuation of Ridley's 2000 film.

According to the report, Washington, 68, was initially unsure whether he could appear in the film. However, sources said that after the actor read the script, he was "excited about the bad–s role Scott had written with him in mind."

Washington reportedly met with Scott, 85, shortly after and was on board after hearing the filmmaker's pitch.

No details have been shared yet on who Washington will play. 

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Barry Keoghan (The Banshees of Inisherin, The Green Knight, Dunkirk) is also said to be in negotiations to play Emperor Publius Septimius Geta, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Though Geta was a real-life Roman emperor, he did not appear in the 2000 movie. It has not been revealed yet how Emperor Geta will fit into the story, but he was the brother of the notorious emperor Caracalla. He rose to power in AD 195, declared Caesar by his father, Septimus Severus.

For this sequel, it is confirmed that Mescal will portray an adult version of Lucius.

Lucius is the son of Lucilla (Connie Nielsen) and the nephew of Joaquin Phoenix's character Commodus from the original film, first portrayed by Spencer Treat Clark. At the end of Gladiator, Maximus (Russell Crowe) saves Lucius' life after defeating Commodus. 

The Gladiator sequel is a co-production between Paramount and Universal, expected to hit theaters on Nov. 22, 2024. 

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