Ridley Scott blames ‘Gladiator 2’ negativity on Paul Mescal not being “masculine enough”, says new report

Ridley Scott blamed star Paul Mescal for the underwhelming response to Gladiator II, according to a new report. READ MORE: ‘Gladiator 2’ review: back to Rome for Paul Mescal’s Colosseum-sized sequel The 2024 sequel to the Oscar winning 2000 historical drama saw Mescal step into the shoes of Russell Crowe as a man seeking revenge by becoming a gladiator in Rome’s colosseum. Despite being a box office success, making $462million (£342million) and having an 80 per cent “fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes, many considered it inferior to the original. According to a new report from Puck’s newsletter What I’m Hearing, writer Matthew Belloni writes that Ridley Scott blamed Mescal for the film’s response, claiming he was not “masculine” enough for the part. The disappointment allegedly led to him being replaced on Scott’s new movie The Dog Stars by Jacob Elordi. The switch may have been fortuitous for Mescal, however, as the new film flopped last weekend at the box office. NME rated Gladiator II three stars out of five, with Alex Flood writing: “If you loved Gladiator, it’s odds-on you’ll enjoy this too. It’s got all of the same exciting bits – swordfighting, rousing speeches, nasty poshos getting what they deserve. The problem is that’s all it gives you.” The original film’s star, Russell Crowe, mentioned numerous times his disdain for the film, saying that it lacked a “moral core” and that the movie had “failed”.Recommended Paul Mescal would go on to achieve success with the Oscar-winning drama Hamnet, and is soon to play Paul McCartney in the forthcoming four-part biopic of The Beatles. He and his co-stars were recently spotted recreating the famous ‘Abbey Road’ album cover for the movie. In June, the actor made his first public statement in support of transgender rights, in support of the London Trans+ Pride demonstration that happened in the city.