Claims of tension between Ridley Scott and Paul Mescal over Mescal’s departure from the The Dog Stars project have been denied. As the Oscar-nominated director’s film, starring Jacob Elordi in the lead role, was released, fans debated what kind of production might have emerged if Mescal had remained involved.
Puck writer Matt Belloni suggested that Scott’s belief that the actor was responsible for Gladiator 2’s box-office performance falling short of expectations, as well as his view that Mescal was not sufficiently “masculine,” lay behind Mescal’s departure. Scott’s representative told Entertainment Weekly that the claim was “absolutely not true.” The representative said that Mescal’s rehearsals for another film conflicted with the shooting schedule, that Scott wanted to work with the actor again, and that he was pleased with Elordi.
It had previously been announced that Mescal’s departure was connected to his portrayal of Paul McCartney in Sam Mendes’ 4-film series about the members of the Beatles. Scott said in 2024 that the actor’s schedule was full. Although Gladiator 2 grossed $462 million worldwide, its budget exceeded $300 million. Scott had said that he found Mescal’s performance to be on a level that could measure up to Russell Crowe’s.
Why it matters
The representative’s statement suggests that the casting change can be explained by a scheduling conflict rather than a personal disagreement; however, this framing does not negate why the claims made in the Puck article gained traction with the public. At the center of the debate is how Gladiator 2’s worldwide box office performance should be assessed against its budget of more than $300 million and whether this can be linked to Mescal’s departure from the project. While Mescal’s role in the series about the members of the Beatles provides a concrete basis for the scheduling issue, Scott’s desire to work with the actor again prevents any definitive conclusion that their relationship has broken down. The remaining question is how the version featuring Mescal would have taken shape creatively and to what extent the film with Elordi was affected by this change.