Denzel Washington is set to star in the ‘Gladiator’ sequel

Denzel Washington is reportedly in the final stages of negotiations to star in the highly anticipated ‘Gladiator’ sequel – and Twitter users can’t hold back their excitement.

The Washington cast would mark a cinematic reunion with filmmaker Ridley Scott, who will helm the upcoming film, according to Deadline. Scott directed Washington in “American Gangster” in 2007.

Although Washington’s role in the film is being kept secret, Deadline states that “after reading the script, sources close to the project said [Washington] was excited about the badass role Scott had written with him in mind.

Once Twitter users learned of the beloved actor’s potential involvement in the film, many expressed their excitement to see the two-time Oscar winner in Scott’s sequel.

The “Equalizer” star would join Oscar nominees Paul Mescal (“Aftersun”) and Barry Keoghan (“Eternals”) in the film.

The sequel is set to take place years after the events of Scott’s smash hit “Gladiator,” released in 2000.

The original historical action movie starred Russell Crowe as Maximus Decimus Meridius, a Roman soldier forced into slavery who swears revenge on Emperor Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix). “Gladiator” was nominated for 12 Oscars and won five, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Crowe.

Washington — who collaborated on several hit movies directed by Ridley’s late brother, Tony Scott, including ‘Man on Fire,’ ‘Crimson Tide,’ and ‘Deja Vu’ — recently starred in the 2021 Apple TV movie ‘The Tragedy of Macbeth”.

He received a Best Actor Oscar nomination for his role as the title character in ‘Macbeth’, making him the most nominated black actor in Oscar historywith 10 nominations and two wins.

Scott is also executive producing the sequel with Michael Pruss through his production company, Scott Free, alongside Doug Wick and Lucy Fisher through Red Wagon Entertainment.

The sequel to “Gladiator” is set to be released on November 22, 2024.