I’ve loved Timothee Chalamet almost in everything that I’ve seen of him and since his perfect casting as Paul Atreides in Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi masterpiece Dune, which was in my opinion was the best film of 2021. So, from then I’m excited about almost anything that he is a part of. It’s not just me, after Dune: Part One everyone is behind the star and he is in high demand and why not he is Hollywood’s darling and quite possibly the next Leonardo DiCaprio. Just like everyone, I was also wondering what is next for the Dune star? Well, after he is done filming Part Two he is set to star in Wonka which is a reboot of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. However, he was also rumored to be the star of the new Gladiator 2. This news was certainly exciting as just one big franchise, Chalamet will be in another.
However, we recently got the news that Paul Mescal has been cast to lead Ridley Scott’s sequel. The report came from Deadline and soon after that another report revealed that many actors were rejected including Bodyguard, Game of Thrones and Eternals’ star Richard Madden, Whiplash and Top Gun: Maverick’s Miles Teller, Elvis, Dune: Part Two’s Austin Butler and Timothee Chalamet. This was certainly a shock that such big names didn’t get the role despite auditioning and eventually the role went to Mescal. However, just a day after this report surfaced, it appears that the report wasn’t accurate after all.
Timothee Chalamet Never Auditioned For Gladiator 2?
While Paul Mescal remains the star of the film, the inaccuracy lies in the list provided to us about the rejected actors. Once Deadline broke the news, The Hollywood Reporter’s Borys Kit revealed all the actors who were in contention for the role. After all the big names were revealed, Justin Kroll who was the writer of the original report that announced Paul Mescal’s confirmation, corrected Kit that amongst all the names mentioned, one was definitely inaccurate.
Austin Butler never met Ridley Scott for the role as he is planning to take a break from acting after shooting three films back to back, including Dune: Part Two. However, this wasn’t the only name that was inaccurate. After Discussing Film shared the news, they framed the news in slightly aggressive manner. Their report said,“Austin Butler, Timothée Chalamet, Miles Teller, and Richard Madden all auditioned for the lead role in Ridley Scott’s Gladiator 2. Paul Mescal won the role.” Clearly making the other stars look like losers.
When the website shared their report on their Twitter handle, Timothee Chalamet’s agent Brian Swadstorm clarified the inaccurate wording of their report. The Hollywood Reporter’s report never said that all actors auditioned. Swadstorm replied with a great line that both debunked the rumors as well as reiterated what a big name Timothee Chalamet is currently. He wrote back, “I know one of these actors was shooting a film in the Middle East for the past several months – and he hasn’t auditioned for anything in more than 7 years.”
Check out the Tweet below:
The Gladiator sequel should ideally release in late December 2024. This release date would make sense as that would allow the film to be in the awards season conversation while enjoying the holiday boosted box office collections. The only problem with this is that James Cameron’s Avatar threequel is slated to release in December 2024 as well. I don’t think so Scott or Cameron would want to clash horns with each other. The sequel would face huge losses if it releases alongside Avatar 3 seeing how Avatar: The Way of Water has demolished all competition this year. I think, an early 2025 release date seems better for Gladiator 2.
Gladiator is currently available for streaming on Netflix.
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