After stepping away from Gladiator II over creative differences, Russell Crowe is gearing up to star in The Last Druid—filming reportedly underway in Spain—with Game of Thrones’ Rose Leslie and WWE’s Drew McIntyre among the newly revealed cast.
Russell Crowe hasn’t been quiet about why he stepped away from Gladiator II. The Oscar winner famously did not return for the 2024 sequel. citing creative differences over how the story handled his character’s legacy—distancing himself from the production and speaking out about his concerns. Nearly three decades after Gladiator helped define his career. Crowe is now ready to return to the big-screen battle in a completely new fantasy adventure. on terms that feel unmistakably his own.
One of the projects moving fastest is The Last Druid. Crowe will star as a peaceful Celtic leader who has to awaken the warrior within. The mission turns urgent when a Roman Emperor learns of a secluded Druid stronghold in the mountains of Caledonia. setting in motion a fight to keep Crowe’s family from being annihilated.
The film also reunites Crowe with director William Eubank, who previously worked with him on the thriller Land of Bad. Eubank co-wrote the script alongside Phil Gawthorne and Carlyle Eubank. Filming has reportedly commenced in Spain, and new casting news has begun to surface as production gets underway.
Game of Thrones star Rose Leslie has been added to the cast. Details about her role have not been revealed. but Leslie is coming off one of HBO’s most memorable period performances as Ygritte. one of the Wildlings from the north of the Wall. The Last Druid has also cast WWE star Drew McIntyre. marking his first major movie role—alongside his appearance in the upcoming Highlander reboot. which also stars Crowe.
Additional cast announced for The Last Druid includes Andreas Pietschmann (Nuremberg), Stacy Clausen (Leviticus), Pablo Derqui, and Tennyson Crowe, Russell Crowe’s son, in his second-ever acting credit.
Crowe’s return to the Roman-era battlefield isn’t the only thing on his calendar. After last year’s WWII drama Nuremberg. the year began more slowly for him. with the martial-arts action film Beast. his only release so far. Next up is the crime thriller The Get Out. featuring an ensemble that includes Breaking Bad’s Aaron Paul. Luke Evans. and Nina Dobrev. The movie is set to release in theaters for a single weekend beginning on June 26. before moving to PVOD platforms like Prime Video.
Later in the fall, on September 18, Crowe is scheduled to appear in The Weight, a historical drama co-starring Ethan Hawke. He’s also set to be seen in Amazon’s Highlander reboot with Henry Cavill. though a release date has not been scheduled yet. Crowe recently revealed that he’s wrapped filming his part. Two other projects are in post-production with no release date yet: Netflix’s crime drama Unabomber and the star-studded spy thriller Billion Dollar Spy.
The Last Druid itself still has no release date. But the film has already been pre-sold in multiple international markets, with Amazon acquiring rights for some territories—an early sign that the latest chapter in Crowe’s on-screen comeback is being lined up for wide audiences.
It’s a different road from Gladiator II. This time, the legacy fight is happening off-camera, in interviews and decisions. On-camera. the promise is clearer: Roman power. mountain strongholds. and a Celtic leader forced to take up arms—now with Rose Leslie. Drew McIntyre. and a full roster of new faces joining Crowe as filming gets real.
Russell Crowe The Last Druid William Eubank Gladiator II Rose Leslie Drew McIntyre HBO Game of Thrones Highlander reboot Aaron Paul Luke Evans Nina Dobrev The Get Out The Weight Ethan Hawke Nuremberg Beast Unabomber Billion Dollar Spy Caledonia Druid stronghold
So wait is this like Gladiator 3 but with druids? Russell better still be fighting somewhere.
Creative differences is such a vague excuse though. Like he didn’t like the way they handled his “legacy”?? Sounds more like drama behind the scenes.
Rose Leslie in this is kinda random. I remember her from GoT but I don’t get why she’s gonna be a “druid” vibe or whatever. Also WWE Drew McIntyre… are they just hiring famous dudes now?
I swear they always say filming in Spain like that means it’s automatically good. And Caledonia and Roman emperor?? Wasn’t that basically the same theme as another movie I saw on Netflix last week. Hope Crowe actually sticks to the script this time, because Gladiator II was a mess.