Barry Keoghan drops out of Gladiator sequel to star in Andrea Arnold film

Oscar nominated Dublin actor Barry Keoghan has dropped out of Ridley Scott's hugely anticipated Gladiator sequel.

As of last night, the Banshees of Inisherin actor is set to star in Andrea Arnold's mysterious forthcoming film Bird, according to Above the Line. Arnold is the maverick filmmaker behind Fish Tank and American Honey.

While there are no plot details available for Bird, as the project has only been mentioned in a single line of the lauded filmmaker's bio on the Cannes Film Festival website, it presented a scheduling conflict for Keoghan.

The White Lotus season one actor Fred Hechinger has reportedly replaced Barry Keoghan as the main antagonist in the film, Emperor Gala. The reaction has been swift and intense online, with Keoghan fans hugely disappointed to miss him starring alongside Paul Mescal.

Fred Hechinger to replace Barry Keoghan in Ridley Scott’s ‘GLADIATOR 2’ due to scheduling conflicts. pic.twitter.com/RJtAXblzlg

— Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) May 18, 2023

According to Deadline, Hechinger is just the latest addition to an already hefty cast, joining at the same time as Moon Knight's May Calamawy, Lior Raz, Derek Jacobi (reprising his role as Gracchus), Peter Mensah and Matt Lucas.

Paul Mescal will star as the grown Lucius, son of Connie Nielsen's Lucilla (who is back for the sequel), plus Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal and Joseph Quinn.

Paramount has planted a flag in 22 November, 2024 as the film's release date.

Keoghan is already earning a lot of buzz for his upcoming autumn movie Saltburn, directed by Promising Young Woman filmmaker Emerald Fennel. The film’s test-screening in February was immensely well-received.

The Irish actor was up for Best Supporting Actor (The Banshees of Inisherin) this year. He’s already showed great promise in American Animals, and The Killing of a Sacred Deer - plus he's portraying The Joker in the new Batman films.