A Streetcar Named Desire, starring Oscar nominee Paul Mescal, rushes to the West End as Ridley Scott pushes back Gladiator 2 release date

EXCLUSIVE: Paul Mescal’s Irish eyes smile and play too. Not only did he receive his first Oscar nomination for his leading role on Tuesday After sunbut Deadline can reveal Tennessee Williams’ award-winning production End station requiredin which Mescal delivers a tense Stanley Kowalski who moves from an award-winning fringe theater in North London to a West End stage.

Part of the credit for the move goes to Ridley Scott and Paramount, who agreed to push back the filmmakers’ start date. gladiators 2, the sequel to the 2000 epic starring Russell Crowe, which will now start filming about two weeks later than originally planned.

Mescal, 26, has signed on to star gladiator 2 as Lucius Versus, son of Connie Nielsen’s Lucille and cousin of the insanely jealous Commodus (played by Joaquin Phoenix in gladiator).

Mescal now moves to Phoenix with Patsy Ferran, celebrated for her Blanche DuBois, beginning March 20 for a strictly limited run of six weeks.

front seats End station required at the 370-seat Almeida Theater in Islington, where it runs until February 4, is the most sought-after in London. When news of Mescal’s nomination broke, Almeida’s box office manager reported a flurry of phone calls and emails, such was the demand for tickets.

The Phoenix has 1,012 seats. Still, the run is expected to sell out within minutes of opening for general sale on February 1.

Mescal has been on the road to success since the TV drama normal people started on the BBC almost three years ago. His sturdy, handsome appearance in a rugby player’s physique is combined with a mercurial ability to inhabit every part.

As much as he loves making independent films God’s creatures and The Lost DaughterMescal has a desire to work across the spectrum.

“I don’t want films to love After sun for the rest of my life. I know this will be the base, but I want to have my cake and eat it too. I want to be able to do all the things I want to do, but for people to know that movies are fun After sun is what I want to see,” he recently told us.

“But I also know that there are just other things I want to do and try and try,” he added.

The success of End station required is a creative triumph for Rebecca Frecknall, the director. She enjoyed similar directorial acclaim for the revival of cabaret who are still playing to packed houses after two years at the Kit-Kat Club in Charing Cross.

Ferran, who often seems to work effortlessly with Frecknall, gives London the best Blanche he has seen on its stages in years.

Adam Speers, the production manager of Ambassador Theater Group, the venue that carries Williams’ play, told Deadline that the pairing of Tennessee Williams, Olivier Award winner Frecknall, Mescal, Ferran and actors Anjana Vasan and Dwane Walcott was “too good.” teacher.”

He said: “The first big opening in 2023 has already blown away audiences and critics – so it’s extraordinary to find a way to bring this amazing production to the West End, even for a short time.”

He believes that during the six-week run in the West End, “the energy at the Phoenix Theater will be like the greatest rock band on earth reunited for one last performance”.