Denzel Washington to star in Gladiator sequel

Denzel Washington is set to star in the Gladiator sequel.

The 68-year-old actor is in final negotiations to co-star alongside Paul Mescal, 27, in Sir Ridley Scott's follow-up to the 2001 movie.

According to Deadline: "When the offer was first presented it was unknown whether he would actually do it; Washington is known for his great taste in projects and doesn't sign up for anything.

"But after reading the script, sources close to the project said he was excited about the bad a** role Scott had written with him in mind."

It was recently revealed that Barry Keoghan is also in talks for the movie and is potentially set to portray a character named Emperor Gata.

Specific details about the flick remain a closely-guarded secret but it has been confirmed that Paul will take on the role of Lucius – the son of Connie Nielsen's character Lucilla and Joaquin Phoenix's Commodus from the original film.

Russell Crowe has ruled out returning as Maximus Decimus Meridius in the project – which is due to be released in 2024 – and explained that it won't be a "direct sequel" to the Oscar-winning original.

The 58-year-old star said: "Yeah we've had dinner and talked about it and all that stuff. So I know roughly how he's shaping the story.

"But yeah, if you remember, there was a young kid who wanted to beat the Gladiator, which leads to the 'My name is' speech. So that young kid has grown up, and he's now the Emperor.

"I don't know what else happens at that point, so that's the idea. So it's not a remake. And it's not a direct sequel. It's not like the day after, you know, 30 years later or something."

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