Barry Keoghan has pulled out of the upcoming "Gladiator" sequel which is starring fellow Irish actor Paul Mescal.
Keoghan, who landed an Oscar nomination for "The Banshees of Inisherin" this year, was reportedly in negotiations to play Emperor Geta in the as-yet-untitled sequel to the 2000 blockbuster, but scheduling conflicts forced him to withdraw from the project, according to Deadline.
While fellow Irish Oscar nominee Paul Mescal has been cast in the titular role, Fred Hechinger ("The White Lotus") is now said to be in negotiations for the Geta role amidst Keoghan's exit.
The rest of the confirmed cast includes Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, Connie Nielsen, May Calamawy, Lior Raz, Derek Jacobi, Peter Mensah, and Matt Lucas.
In the "Gladiator" sequel, Nielsen will be reprising her role as Lucilla, while Jacobi will be back in his role as Gracchus. Ridley Scott is returning to direct, with David Scarpa penning the script.
The new film follows the 2000 historical epic "Gladiator," which earned more than $460 million in worldwide box office sales and was nominated for 12 Oscars, winning five including Best Picture and Best Actor for Russell Crowe.
In the original film, Crowe played Maximus, a Roman general-turned-gladiator. It turned out to be a career-changing role for the actor.
Crowe will not be involved in the sequel, as the new film takes place after his character's death, but the Australian star admitted in a recent interview that he is slightly jealous of the experience Mescal has ahead of him.
“It does take me back to a period of time when obviously I was significantly younger," Crowe said.
"And you know, the rose-colored glasses of that experience now are perfectly crystallized. I look back on it and I loved every minute of it, and that wasn’t actually the case at the time.
"I do like being on a period movie set. Stepping into those sorts of costumes and those sorts of situations and stuff, it has great appeal to me. There’s a slight edge of jealousy that people get to have that experience that I had once.”
Paramount Pictures has slated the release of the new "Gladiator" sequel for November 22, 2024.
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