As a seasoned film enthusiast who has witnessed the rise and fall of countless cinematic projects, I must say that the journey of ‘Gladiator II‘ has been nothing short of intriguing. The revelation that Timothée Chalamet and Miles Teller were once in the running for the role of Lucius is fascinating, given the stark contrast between their acting styles and Paul Mescal’s captivating portrayal.
In “Gladiator II,” it was nearly a different sight for Lucius as director Ridley Scott unveiled that two prominent actors had initially been strong contenders for the role. The lead in “Normal People,” Paul Mescal, steps into the shoes of the matured Prince of Rome (originally played by Spencer Treat Clark) in Scott’s much-anticipated sequel. The director admitted to being captivated and ultimately casting Mescal after an unplanned binge-watching session with the popular BBC series. However, before Scott was enamored by Connell (Mescal’s character in the show), several other actors were under consideration for the part of Lucius.
Discussing with The Hollywood Reporter, Scott reminisced about the lengthy process of bringing Gladiator II to life. He started brainstorming ideas for the sequel only a few years following the initial release in 2000. It was within the past five years that Gladiator II seemed plausible, and during this time, Scott had contemplated two exceptionally gifted young actors for the role, as per The Hollywood Reporter’s report.
“For a time, Timothée Chalamet was in the running, as was Miles Teller.”
Initially, Scott pondered over Mescal and eventually offered him the role following a 30-minute Zoom discussion. The sequel to Gladiator, titled Gladiator II, is currently gracing screens worldwide, and both critics and audiences concur that Mescal was spot-on for the part. In addition to his impressive portrayal in Normal People, Scott revealed he chose Mescal for the role due to his remarkable similarity to Richard Harris, who played Marcus Aurelius, Lucius’ grandfather, in Gladiator.
‘Gladiator II’ Was Almost Much, Much Weirder
After a span of 24 years, Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II proved to be a wait worth experiencing. The sequel paid tribute to its predecessor while weaving its unique narrative, hinting at a possible trilogy without being overbearing. Over the course of 18 years in development, several concepts were proposed for Gladiator II. Despite Russell Crowe not appearing in the sequel, many ideas revolved around resurrecting his character… and one of them was downright outrageous.
Instead of bowing down to Caesar, I’d rather tip my hat off to Steven Spielberg, the man who rescued us from an atrocious “Gladiator II” screenplay penned by music maestro Nick Cave. In a different conversation, Ridley Scott reminisced about one of the concepts for “Gladiator II”. Apparently, Cave’s script would have reintroduced Maximus Decimus Meridius as a divine gladiator, battling it out on behalf of the Roman Gods against Jesus. According to Scott, this was just one of the intriguing ideas he had for the sequel.
“There was even a sequel idea that the musician Nick Cave wrote, where Maximus is resurrected as an instrument of the Roman gods dispatched against Jesus Christ. That obviously didn’t happen. It got too grand. Nick is very high theater, and Steven Spielberg [who was consulted on the original film] said, ‘Nah.’ I wasn’t confident about what we had actually put together, so I just let it go.”
Apart from being implausible, it’s unclear how this idea could be executed in terms of timing. Fortunately, Spielberg intervened and effectively buried the concept, just as Maximus was buried at the end of Gladiator. Still, it’s fun to imagine Cave’s script coming to life on the big screen. Maybe someday, fans will get a chance to see their own interpretations online if the script is eventually made public.
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2024-11-25 18:01