Overview
- A Puck newsletter by Matthew Belloni, cited by multiple outlets, published Tuesday–Wednesday claims unnamed sources say Ridley Scott privately faulted Paul Mescal for Gladiator II’s muted reception by saying the actor was not “masculine enough.”
- Belloni’s item also relays an alternate account that Sam Mendes pressured Mescal to exit the film The Dog Stars after Scott allegedly revealed Mescal’s casting in Mendes’s Beatles biopic, creating competing explanations from unnamed insiders.
- Mescal exited The Dog Stars before shooting and was replaced by Jacob Elordi, and that film opened poorly at the box office after the casting change.
- Gladiator II grossed about $462.2 million worldwide against an estimated $210 million production budget and drew mixed critical response plus public criticism from historians and some crew members about historical accuracy and creative choices.
- Neither Ridley Scott nor Paul Mescal has publicly confirmed the Puck allegations, and the story could affect reputations and future casting choices while industry watchers await any official responses.