The Two Actors Who Almost Played Gladiator 2's Lucius Before Paul Mescal

This weekend, a lot more people were thinking about the Roman Empire than usual thanks to the release of "Gladiator II" (read our review). Ridley Scott's return to the glory of Rome sees Paul Mescal take on the role of Lucius, the newest contender in the Colosseum after the late, great Maximus (Russell Crowe), who haunts the "Gladiator" sequel throughout. There was a time, though, when other stars were being considered to enter into the arena as its new hero, and their involvement could've made for a very different movie (albeit, one that still would've featured angry baboons and Denzel Washington hissing "politics").

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Timothée Chalamet and Miles Teller were both eyed to play Lucius before Mescal came aboard. The "Dune" and "Top Gun: Maverick" actors (respectively) were apparently the frontrunners for the role, too, at least until Scott decided to indulge in some late-night television binging. After hammering through hours of Mescal's hit series "Normal People," steps were taken to schedule talks with the promising up and comer.

While Scott made it clear the role would be a demanding one during their subsequent discussions, Mescal was seemingly game for it. Producer Doug Wick and co-producer Lucy Fisher then went to watch Mescal in a stage production of "A Streetcar Named Desire" and they came away equally certain they'd found their man, even knowing the risks that would come with casting him. "Any studio would always prefer to have a known star," Wick confessed. However, as he and the others saw it, "No other actor came close."

After a Zoom call with the cigar-chewing legend that is Ridley Scott, Mescal declined to immediately accept the offer, being fully aware of what it could lead to. "I would've had a potential reticence around what the first big studio film was going to be, because it sets out your stall as an actor," he explained to THR. It's an understandable concern to have; once you've started turning heads in the real world by chopping them off in slow-motion in a movie, there's no going back. Then again, Crowe managed to avoid being pigeonholed after starring in the original "Gladiator" and has since gone on to enjoy a varied career, even recently zipping around on a Vespa to vanquish demons in "The Pope's Exorcist."

Mescal, however, declined to reach out to his predecessor after signing on for "Gladiator II." Crowe himself has admitted to having mixed feelings about the "Gladiator" sequel, having spent years trying to get an earlier iteration of the project off the ground before the final version came to pass. In the end, though, Mescal decided to focus on blazing his own path with the franchise. "It was useful, actually, to have a certain distance from [Crowe], because I had to go and do my own thing," the actor admitted. While there's no word yet on whether Crowe has seen the new film, hopefully he'll eventually discover that Mescal has done his part to bring strength and honor to the "Gladiator" name.

"Gladiator II" is now playing in theaters.