Denzel Washington to Co-Star in Ridley Scott’s Gladiator Sequel

[Tsing]

The original Gladiator seems impossible to live up to, but its chances appear to have gotten a little higher thanks to the addition of a surprising cast member. According to sources with Deadline, Denzel Washington, one of today's greatest living actors, is in final negotiations to co-star in the sequel to Ridley Scott's Oscar Best Picture winner for Paramount. Scott is returning to produce, and while Washington's role remains under wraps, he'll be joining Normal People star Paul Mescal, who was locked for the project earlier this year to play Lucius, the son of Connie Nielsen (Lucilla) and Joaquin Phoenix's (Commodus) characters. Denzel Washington and Ridley Scott teamed almost 16 years ago for American Gangster, a 2007 biographical crime film that saw Washington take on the role of Frank Lucas, a gangster who got rich off of smuggling heroin. Russell Crowe, who is best known for playing Maximus in Gladiator, co-starred in the drama, which has a 7.8 rating on iMDB.

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[Grimlakin]

What... a gladiator... sequel?

 

[Brian_B]

Ok well obviously Russel Crowe won't be reprising his role. Denzel is getting up there to - dunno what kind of shape he's in, but he isn't a spring chicken any more. (I say that with no disrespect for Crowe, as a fellow fat white man - you do what you wanna do)

I guess Gladiator doesn't necessarily need to be all about the pit fighting though - there's plenty of Roman stuff you could make a good movie about.