This article has since been updated with a newly revealed statement via an official Ridley Scott representative Following rumors that renowned director Ridley Scott both blamed Gladiator II star Paul Mescal for the underperformance of 2024’s swords-and-sandals sequel, and subsequently fired him from recent sci-fi action epic The Dog Stars, an official spokesperson for the filmmaker has now revealed that, like so many rumors before it, none of it is true. Via EW:
“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.”
What follows is based on the original report: The dismal opening for Ridley Scott’s The Dog Stars doesn’t bode well for its box-office prospects. Although it grossed $19 million globally in its first three days in theaters, it’s still too early to tell how it will perform in the long term — but the writing is on the wall, given the film’s underwhelming reception. The Dog Stars isn’t faring well, but the same can’t be said about its original lead, who may have just dodged a bullet when he was dropped from the cast before the movie began filming.
Hot on the heels of his starring role in Gladiator II, Paul Mescal was reportedly a shoo-in for Scott’s next project, The Dog Stars. Mescal was in advanced negotiations to headline the post-apocalyptic thriller in 2024, but dropped out of the running in January 2025, citing scheduling issues. More than a year after the fact, industry insider Matt Belloni asserts another side to the story, one that involves Scott firing Mescal because Gladiator II flopped at the box office.
According to sources privy to The Dog Stars‘ development, Mescal fell out of Scott’s favor after Gladiator II fumbled, and the director also felt in retrospect that Mescal was not “masculine enough” for his role in the film. If true, then it has nothing to do with Mescal’s appearance or physique, as Scott confirmed in previous interviews with Fandango and Total Film that he was confident in Mescal’s potential. In a recent interview with Empire, Scott also revealed the reason Mescal fell out of the running.
“I had a good time doing [Gladiator II] with Paul, and from that I thought it was going to be him [for The Dog Stars]. But then he got hooked into playing Paul McCartney, and I’m his friend, so I’m not going to complain. I’d had my eye on Jacob [Elordi] for a while anyway… His background is a farm lad. He can drive tractors, he’s great with dogs, and he’s a very [outdoorsy], practical kind of guy. I met with him, and that was it.”
It was all water under the bridge when Elordi replaced Mescal in The Dog Stars, and based on the turnout, Mescal might have averted disaster by losing the lead. Besides, he’s also landed what could be the biggest gig in his storied career — he’s playing Paul McCartney in director Sam Mendes’ upcoming four-part Beatles biopic.
Mescal only has a handful of films to his credit, but he’s already marked milestones in his career, starting with an Oscar Best Actor nomination for 2022’s Aftersun, followed by a standout stint as William Shakespeare in last year’s Hamnet. Scott even said he was so impressed by Mescal’s performance in Normal People that he shortlisted him for the Gladiator sequel. The actor earned his stripes in theater, debuting in a production of The Great Gatsby in 2017. He’s set to celebrate his tenth anniversary on stage next year.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
