Barry Keoghan drops out of ‘Gladiator 2’

A sequel to Ridley Scott’s Best Picture winner, Gladiator, is in the works with director Ridley Scott returning to the helm alongside a cast that includes new and old characters. Not long ago, Barry Keoghan, famous for his role in The Banshees of Inisherin, was also roped in to play an essential part in the sequel, but it would seem that won’t be happening anymore.

According to new reports, scheduling conflicts eventually led Keoghan to drop out of Gladiator 2. He was to play Emperor Geta in the sequel, a role which is now being offered to Fred Hechinger. Hechinger is famous for breaking out via The White Lotus along with appearances in Pale Blue Eye and Pam & Tommy.

The role in Gladiator 2 would have meant Keoghan entering another franchise after his cameo as the Joker in The Batman and appearing as Druig in Eternals.

Barry Keoghan is awaiting post-production on several projects he is slated to appear. That includes Emerald Fennell’s next, Saltburn, wherein Keoghan plays the lead role. He also works on the forthcoming Apple Studios series, Masters of Air. The series, produced by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, will be the third World War II companion series alongside Band of Brothers and The Pacific and unravel the actions of Eight Air Force of the US Air Force during the war.

With two more films in line for the BAFTA-winning actor and a chance to appear in 2025’s, The Batman Part II, it will take a lot of work for him to take on another challenging project like Gladiator 2, which Ridley Scott plans to release next year, so it’s no real surprise that he’d need to step away.

According to Deadline, with Hechinger’s entering negotiations, Gladiator 2 has also confirmed the casting of Moon Knight star Maya Calamawy alongside Lior Raz, Matt Lucas, and Peter Mensah. The ensemble of Gladiator 2 continues further. The film will also feature Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, and Joseph Quinn in pivotal roles alongside Mescal.

Gladiator 2 will serve as a direct sequel to the first film; both are set two decades apart. David Scarpa, who previously penned Scott’s All The Money In The World and episodes of The Man In The High Castle, is writing the script.

Gladiator 2 is tentatively slated to release in 2024.