Irish actor Barry Keoghan has withdrawn from his planned role in the upcoming Gladiator sequel, according to industry reports.
Barry, 30, had been in extensive negotiations to play the character of Emperor Geta in the sequel to the Oscar-winning 2000 blockbuster but he has now been forced to pull out due to scheduling conflicts.
Deadline reports that The White Lotus' Fred Hechinger appears most likely to replace Barry in the role as casting for the movie is finalised.
READ MORE - Lenny Abrahamson reveals Oscar hopes for Paul Mescal after Hollywood debut
In what will come as disappointing news for Irish film buffs, Barry will no longer be joining Paul Mescal in the cast for the Ridley Scott-directed sequel.
Above The Line reports that Barry, who earned global praise for his performance in The Banshees of Inisherin, was forced to pull out of the Gladiator sequel because production would have clashed with his role in Bird, the next film from American Honey filmmaker Andrea Arnold. Little is known about Bird to date, other than the fact that filming commences next month.
As for Gladiator 2, some familiar names who have recently joined the cast are May Calamawy, Lior Raz, Derek Jacobi, Peter Mensah and Matt Lucas. We already knew that Mescal is set to star in the sequel, while Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn and Connie Nielsen are all expected to feature.
November 22, 2024 has been earmarked as a potential release date by Paramount Pictures.
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