Ridley Scott Reportedly Says Paul Mescal Wasn't ‘Masculine Enough’ for Gladiator 2

Director Ridley Scott reportedly blamed Paul Mescal for Gladiator II 's underperformance, claiming the lead actor wasn't “masculine enough” for the role.

According to Puck News’ Matt Belloni (via World of Reel ), this was the real reason why Mescal dropped out of Scott’s next film, The Dog Stars , and was replaced by Jacob Elordi.

Reports at the time claimed Mescal’s exit from The Dog Stars stemmed from scheduling conflicts with Sam Mendes’ four-part Beatles movie, where Mescal plays Paul McCartney .

IGN’s Tom Jorgensen, for one, appreciated Mescal’s performance, writing in his positive Gladiator II review that “Paul Mescal is adept in the belabored-hero role, going toe-to-toe with not only the delightfully deranged Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger, but also with Denzel Washington.”

While Gladiator II earned $462 million worldwide, the long-awaited sequel to the 2000 Best Picture winner also cost anywhere from $250 million to north of $300 million to produce.

The Dog Stars is one of the biggest box office flops of Ridley Scott’s career , opening to just $19 million worldwide on what was reportedly an $89 million budget.

In other Ridley Scott shit-talking news, the director recently said he’s developing a sequel to Alien: Covenant with Michael Fassbender because he thinks the Fede Alvarez-directed Alien: Romulus was just “OK” and the franchise “needs some help.”

Also be sure to read IGN’s picks for Ridley Scott’s 10 best movies, a list that doesn’t include Gladiator II, The Dog Stars, or Alien: Covenant.