Yahoo Movies White Lotus star Fred Hechinger replaces Barry Keoghan in Gladiator 2
White Lotus star Fred Hechinger is replacing Barry Keoghan in the upcoming Gladiator 2.
The Eternals actor was original scheduled to join the sequel as Emperor Geta, but Deadline reports he was forced to pull out of the project due to scheduling conflicts.
The film has also added Moon Knight's May Calamawy, Lior Raz, Derek Jacobi (who starred in the original film as Senator Gracchus), Peter Mensah, and former Great British Bake Off host Matt Lucas.
Related: Spider-Man spinoff Kraven the Hunter adds Fred Hechinger in key role
They join previously announced cast members including The Mandalorian and The Last of Us star Pedro Pascal, Denzel Washington, Joseph Quinn and Connie Nielsen, who will return as Lucilla.
Normal People star Paul Mescal will play Lucius, the son of Lucilla and nephew of Commodus (who was played by Joaquin Phoenix in the original). The role of Lucius was played by Spencer Treat Clark in the 2000 film.
Gladiator 2 is the sequel to the Oscar-winning 2000 epic which starred Russell Crowe and was directed by Ridley Scott. Scott has returned to direct the sequel over 20 years on.
The original film grossed over $500 million at the worldwide box office and won five Academy Awards including Best Picture. A sequel has been talked about since the original film was released but it has taken two decades to materialise.
Related: Gladiator star Russell Crowe reveals the original script was "so bad"
Back in 2020, Crowe pretty much ruled out returning for the sequel, saying he hadn't spoken to producer Douglas Wick in "a long, long time."
"If they're having conversations about that, those conversations haven't included me," Crowe told ScreenRant.
"I'm not sure what they have in mind. At all… Can I just say, with a pinch of salt, they have genuinely been having the same conversations since the year 2000."
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