Fred Hechinger to replace Barry Keoghan in ‘Gladiator 2’
It’s been full-steam ahead on the sequel to the 2000 Ridley Scott movie Gladiator in recent weeks, with the likes of Barry Keoghan, Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington and Pedro Pascal being cast in the long-awaited sequel. Due to scheduling conflicts, however, Keoghan has recently been forced to step down.
Keoghan was due to play the antagonist, Emperor Geta, but now Fred Hechinger, of season one of HBO’s White Lotus, is in talks to replace the Oscar nominee. Playing Quinn in the first series of the beloved drama, Hechinger’s character was a young millennial gamer who didn’t have much time for family fun, with the actor surely hoping to bring a similar petulant energy to his role of Emperor Geta.
Hechinger will join an impressive ensemble cast, coming onto the project at the same time as May Calamawy of Marvel’s Moon Knight, who will play the main female protagonist. The likes of Lior Raz, Derek Jacobi, Peter Mensah, Joseph Quinn and Matt Lucas have also joined the cast.
The sequel follows Lucius, the son of Maximus’ lover Lucilla, in the period following his death, with the script being penned by David Scarpa, who is also writing Napoleon for Scott, as well as Cleopatra for Denis Villeneuve.
Take a look at a clip of Fred Hechinger from The White Lotus below.
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