Ridley Scott says the decision to cast Paul Mescal as the lead of G𝕴ladiator 2 was all down to Normal People. ꦯ;

Mescal willไ play Commodus' nephew Lucius in the long-awaited sequel to the beloved first movie. Scott, who is on the cover of the new issue of , opened up about finding Mescal for t🍨he role.

"Can I see Paul🎀 Mescal being as big as Russell Crowe? For sure," Scott tells Total Film in our new issue, which hits newsstands on October 12. "I watched Normal People. It’s not my kind of show but I saw four episodes in a row – boom, boom, boom. I was thinking, 'Who the hell is this Paul Mescal?' 

"And then I watched the whole series. And then, suddenly, Gla𓂃diator 2 came up, because the script was working pretty well. And I kept thinking aboꦦut Paul. And that was it."

Elsewhere in our comprehensive interview with the legendary director, Scott also opened up about why now is the right time to tell this sequel. "Why now? It didn’t have a script [before]. We tried, actually🍷, four years ago, and I chose a very good writer who couldn’t get his head around it. He wrestled. He was terribly upset that he didn’t deliver. He’s a friend of mine. I said, 'You’re not getting there?' He said, 'No.'

"That took 10 months. So it went dead. And then we circled the wagons again, coming back with a very obvious idea, and 🌊why not? There’s a survivor. The survivor is the son of the union between Luci♏lla and Maximus."

Aside from Aftersun star Mescal, the sequel boasts an incredible supporting cast, including Denzel Washington, Connie Nielsen, Djimon Hounsou, Joseph Quinn, Pedro Pascal, and May Calamawy. Production kicked off on Gladiator 2 earlier this year, but filmi🐽ng was paused amid the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike.

Gladiator 2 has a current release date of November 22, 2024. For much more on Scott and his incredible body of work, feast your eyes on the new issue of Total Fiౠlm when it hits shelves and digital newsstand🔜s on Thursday, October 12. Check out the covers below:

to bag your copy, or and never miss another exclusive. With our latest off♋er, you can get an STM Charge Tree worth £69.99 when you take out a print/bundle sub♔scription. You'll also get exclusive subscriber-only covers (like the one on the right, above).