Ridley Scott responds to reports of Paul Mescal being fired from ‘The Dog Stars’ for not being “masculine enough” in ‘Gladiator II’

Ridley Scott and Paul Mescal. CREDIT: Shane Anthony Sinclair/Getty Images

Ridley Scott has responded to reports that he fired Paul Mescal from The Dog Stars for not being masculine enough in Gladiator II .

The 2024 sequel to the Oscar-winning 2000 historical drama saw Mescal step into the shoes of Russell Crowe as a man seeking revenge by becoming a gladiator in Rome’s Colosseum. Despite being a box office success, making $462million (£342million) and having an 80 per cent “fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes , many considered it inferior to the original.

According to a new report from Puck’s newsletter What I’m Hearing , writer Matthew Belloni writes that Ridley Scott blamed Mescal for the film’s response, claiming he was not “masculine” enough for the part.

The disappointment allegedly led to him being replaced on Scott’s new movie The Dog Stars by Jacob Elordi. The switch may have been fortuitous for Mescal, however, as the new film flopped last weekend at the box office .

Now, a representative for Scott has denied the claims, saying that Mescal didn’t appear in the movie as filming clashed with another of his projects.

In a statement to Entertainment Weekly , a representative said of the reports: “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.”

At the time, reports stated Mescal’s commitment to Sam Mendes’ forthcoming four-part biopic of The Beatles prevented him from working with the filmmaker again. Mescal is slated to play Paul McCartney in the films, which are scheduled for release in April 2028.

NME rated Gladiator II three stars out of five , with Alex Flood writing: “If you loved Gladiator, it’s odds-on you’ll enjoy this too. It’s got all of the same exciting bits – swordfighting, rousing speeches, nasty poshos getting what they deserve. The problem is that’s all it gives you.”

The original film’s star, Russell Crowe, mentioned numerous times his disdain for the film, saying that it lacked a “moral core” and that the movie had “failed”.

As for Mescal, he and his co-stars on the Beatles’ biopics were recently spotted recreating the famous ‘Abbey Road’ album cover for the movie.

In June, the actor made his first public statement in support of transgender rights , in support of the London Trans+ Pride demonstration that happened in the city.