‘Gladiator 2’: Ridley Scott’s Sequel Adds ‘Moon Knight’ Breakout May Calamawy, Fred Hechinger, Peter Mensah & More While Barry Keoghan Exits

For the glory of Rome! This summer will see filmmaker Ridley Scott return to the period epic genre with a sprawling sequel to his acclaimed 2000 pic “Gladiator.” And while he’s already assembled quite the cast for the film, one of his high-profile actors has sadly dropped out. According to Deadline, recent Oscar-nominee Barry Keoghan (“The Banshees of Inisherin“) will exit due to a scheduling conflict. So, instead, Scott now looks to Fred Hechinger from “The White Lotus” and “Kraven The Hunter” to replace Keoghan as Emperor Geta. Hechinger will be one of three emperors sharing power in “Gladiator 2,” with the film loosely based on a real time period of the Roman Empire.

READ MORE: ‘Gladiator 2’: Connie Nielson Returns As Lucilla While Joseph Quinn Will Play Emperor Caracalla In Ridley Scott’s Upcoming Sequel

There’s also some new cast members beyond that shake-up as “Moon Knight” actress May Calamawy, who ended becoming the Egyptian Marvel superhero Scarlet Scarab, joins the film along with Peter Mensah (“Spartacus,” “Avatar“), comedian Matt Lucas, Lior Raz, and film/stage actor Derek Jacobi. The latter reprises his role of Senator Gracchus from the 2000 film. He’s one of the few actors actually making a grand return from the original film, along with Connie Nielsen and Djimon Hounsou.

The rest of the impressive cast consists of Paul Mescal as Lucius Verus II, Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, and Joseph Quinn as Emperor Caracalla. We won’t be seeing a glorious return of Russell Crowe‘s Oscar-winning performance of Maximus, as his character ultimately died in the original film. However, the second installment will indeed bring back the gladiator pit and plenty of political backstabbing at the height of the Roman Empire.

Paramount has “Gladiator 2” slated for a November 22, 2024, theatrical release and more casting additions should be announced before the film heads into production.