Ridley Scott has never exactly been shy about saying what he thinks. This is a filmmaker who will happily tell you which of his movies he dislikes, why your criticism is dead wrong and probably what he had for lunch while doing it. So, when a report claimed he privately blamed Gladiator II cast lead Paul Mescal for the film underperforming, the story sounded explosive enough to get attention fast. Now, Scott is speaking out about this rumor.
A report alleged that Scott blamed Mescal for the sequel’s box office performance and believed his leading man was not “masculine” enough. Following that, the filmmaker’s camp issued a response to Entertainment Weekly, and it’s a pretty unequivocal denial. The rep also pushed back on the suggestion that those feelings were behind the decision to replace the Gladiator II lead with Jacob Elordi in Scott’s 2026 movie schedule release, The Dog Stars. The statement reads:
Not true. Ridley loves Paul and was excited to work with him on Dog Stars after having [enjoyed] such a great collaboration on Gladiator II. Sadly, Paul’s rehearsal schedule for another film prevented him from ultimately doing Ridley’s film. While he was disappointed to lose Paul, he was thrilled to get the chance to work with Jacob, who was excellent in the role.
That explanation aligns with what Scott himself said before The Dog Stars ever started shooting. Mascal had originally been expected to reunite with the Alien director for the post-apocalyptic movie. Still, his schedule became considerably more crowded once he signed on to play Paul McCartney in Sam Mendes’ four-film Beatles project. During a Directors Guild of America event in late 2024, Scott said Mescal was “stacked up” with the Beatles movies and admitted he might have to let him go from The Dog Stars.
Gladiator II certainly had a complicated theatrical run. The sequel earned roughly $462 million worldwide, which sounds pretty healthy until you factor in reports that its production budget climbed north of $300 million before marketing. Mescal also faced the unenviable task of following Russell Crowe in a franchise where Crowe won an Oscar for playing Maximus. But Scott publicly backed the actor before the movie opened.
Speaking ahead of Gladiator II’s release, its director brushed aside doubts about casting his leading man and went so far as to say Mescal stood “shoulder to shoulder” with Crowe’s performance in the original. That is a pretty enthusiastic endorsement from a director not especially famous for wrapping his actors in bubble wrap.
There is also a slightly awkward wrinkle to the whole box office argument now. The latest book-to-screen adaptation from Scott, with Elordi in the role in question, opened to a disappointing $7.7 million domestically and roughly $19 million worldwide against a reported $70 million budget. That does not prove anything about why the Foe actor left, of course. Box office fortunes are far more nuanced than pinning success or failure on one actor.
For now, Scott’s side says there was no secret breakup with Mescal, no punishment over Gladiator II, and no last-minute banishment from The Dog Stars. Sometimes a scheduling conflict really may just be a scheduling conflict.
Ridley Scott’s The Dog Stars is still playing in theaters, so be sure to check your local listings for showtimes. As for both Gladiator and Gladiator II, they are streamable with a Paramount+ subscription.
