Following the epic success of musicals at the weekend box office — hello,Moana 2andWicked! —Saturday Night Livedecided to let the other movie playing on screens this season,Gladiator II, also deserved a sing-song-y adaptation. And what better time to do that than while the star of the film,Paul Mescal, is hostingSNL?
“So, after some rushed reshoots,Gladiator IIis now…a MUSICAL!” the narration begins. Because, as Kenan Thompson and Bowen Yang sing in the introduction, there’s no place like Rome, is there?
Welcome to the Rome of ‘Gladiator II: The Musical’
“It’s the same, violent historical epic audiences have been raving about,” the voiceover jokes, “but with an extra 50 minutes of songs.”
Strapping on his Roman gladiator best, Mescal quickly turns into the sort of Broadway performer we would not have necessarily pegged him for, giving the amusingly clever lyrics that much more comedic oomph. “They call me a killer, but someday they’ll know my name!”
For anyone who exists within the sphere of what may be considered “extremely online,” Mescal singing as he swivels his hips (and notoriously, always-out-there thighs) to the building music is the sort of gift that keeps on giving. The actor has done an excellent job of not only poking fun at himself for playing such emotionally charged and tortured characters, but also showcasing his abilities beyond that as a romantic, musical, and comedic lead. For everyone else, it’s probably not all that special a moment (but maybe it should be. It’s okay to let yourself feel things).
‘Gladiator II’ Star Paul Mescal Fought With Ridley Scott Over Doing His Own Stunts
When it came to doing his own stunts on ‘Gladiator II,’ Paul Mescal had to fight with his director, Ridley Scott.
The whole moment is topped off with Mescal — riding a broom stick and wearing a witch’s hat — hitting a “Defying Gravity”-esque high note in an ode to the absolutely stratospheric success of the Broadway musical adaptation starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo.
“Movies are in such a weird place right now,” reads a faux quote fromThe Hollywood Reporter. “I was not told about this,” reads another “quote” from the real film’s director, Ridley Scott.
Mescal has several exciting projects coming up in the hopper, including a role inRichard Linklater’s epic adaptationofMerrily We Roll Along, which will show off more of those singing chops from the sketch (and will take 20 years to end up on our screens). The Broadway musical — largely made famous thanks to Stephen Sondheim’s music and lyrics once they were added to George Furth’s book, based on the 1934 play of the same name by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart — has recently gone through a bit of a renaissance thanks to Daniel Radcliffe, Jonathan Groff, and Lindsay Mendez’s award-winning performances in New York. Now, the show has found a new level of appreciation for the previously under-seen and misunderstood show.
Other projects coming up for Mescal include theChloé Zhao-directedadaptation of the novel-turned-stage playHamnet(in which he will play William Shakespeare), as well asThe Dog Stars, andThe History of Sound. Until these hit our screens, you can just play the above sketch on repeat.
Gladiator II
Gladiator 2 is the follow-up to Ridley Scott’s award-winning film Gladiator from 2000. Scott returns to direct the sequel, with Paul Mescal staring as Lucius, alongside Denzel Washington and Joseph Quinn as the villain Emperor Geta. Gladiator 2 had been stuck in development hell for years before a script written by David Scarpa finally moved forward.
