Russell Crowe's The Last Druid Nabs Game of Thrones Star as Casting Heats Up
The Gladiator star straps on his armor for another war with Rome in a sweeping new historical epic.
Russell Crowe’s back in Roman-fighting mode, nearly thirty years after that whole Gladiator business won him his Oscar. No, it is not a sequel, and no, he isn’t shouting 'Are you not entertained?' in a breastplate—at least, not in Ridley Scott’s new one (he’s made his feelings clear about that). This time, he’s the titular Last Druid, holding his ground against power-mad emperors in a much colder part of the ancient world.
Familiar Territory, New Battle
Crowe leads in The Last Druid, a historical epic with that distinctly misty, Celtic vibe. Instead of the blood-and-sand of Rome, we’re up in the mountains of Caledonia—think Scotland before it was called Scotland—where Crowe is playing a peaceful Celtic elder who, as you’d expect, soon has no choice but to pick up arms when his home and family are threatened by an ambitious—and absolutely ruthless—Roman emperor. So, essentially, imagine if Maximus traded his wolf skin for a tartan wrap and decided retirement wasn’t for him after all.
A Closer Look at the Team
The film’s in the capable hands of director Will Eubank, who previously put Crowe through the wringer in Land of Bad and has a knack for atmospheric action thanks to films like Underwater. The script’s been co-written by Eubank himself, with Phil Gawthorne and Carlyle Eubank also mucking in. Frankly, not a bad brain trust if you want tension, odd horror, and a bit of existential doom.
The Cast: A Slightly Nerdy Power Move
- Russell Crowe – as the actual last druid, defending his people, and probably glaring intensely quite a lot.
- Rose Leslie – yes, Ygritte from Game of Thrones, back wielding swords and (presumably) calling people on their foolishness.
- Andreas Pietschmann – if you’ve seen Nuremberg with Crowe, you know he brings gravitas.
- Daniel Zovatto – of Don’t Breathe fame, who knows his way around tense, life-or-death situations.
Absolute bonus points for getting Leslie back in Fantasy-land and for quietly assembling a lineup that wouldn’t look out of place at a streaming service’s Emmy dreams table.
Where and When?
The film’s rolling cameras starting 8 June, and if you’re imagining brooding mountains and a bit of brogue, you’re half right—they’re shooting in Barcelona and the Canary Islands. Not quite Caledonia, but nobody’s going to argue with Spanish weather.
Is This Gladiator 2? Not Quite...
Look, they’re not calling this a Gladiator follow-up, but the vibes are undeniable. Crowe vs. Rome. Moral stakes. Enormous chips on broad, weary shoulders. The man himself has publicly not been kind about Gladiator II. He was quoted (with a touch of exasperation) as saying:
'I think the recent sequel that, you know, we don’t have to name out loud, is a really unfortunate example of even the people in that engine room not actually understanding what made the first one special. It wasn’t the pomp. It wasn’t the circumstance. It wasn’t the action. It was the moral core.'
In other words, Crowe’s after the heart, not just the flexing and shouting. Let’s see if The Last Druid actually delivers the emotional punch that some recent franchise attempts clearly missed.
And For Crowe, What’s Next?
As always, he’s not one for slowing down. Crowe’s just done a stint in the well-received MMA drama Beast, and his upcoming slate looks properly packed: there’s the Netflix crime thriller Unabomber, action flick Bear Country, spy caper Billion Dollar Spy, and a Highlander reboot from one of the John Wick directors, where he’s apparently teaming back up with his film son (and ex-Superman) Henry Cavill. Apparently, there can be only one, and Crowe’s determined to be first out of the gate.