Paul Mescal quit thriller A Spy By Nature after his casting was announced due to land in Hollywood blockbuster Gladiator 2

Paul Mescal quit thriller A Spy By Nature after landing a bigger gig in Hollywood mega-movie Gladiator 2.

The Irish actor, 27, is set to take on the role of Alec Milius, a man whose gift for deception attracts the attention of MI6, in the film, with his casting announced in October 2022.

But an insider told Daily Mail's Alison Boshoff that after the announcement, Paul took the lead on Ridley Scott's Roman epic sequel and quickly pulled out of the smaller project.

A Spy By Nature is based on the Milius novels by Charles Cumming and would be directed by Oscar winner Kevin Macdonald.

When the casting was announced, Kevin spread the word Screen daily: 'When I met Paul, with his seductive mix of intelligence, skill and youth, I knew I had found the perfect star.'

The Irish actor, 27, would star in the film as Alec Milius, a man whose talent for deception attracts the attention of MI6, with his casting announced in October 2022 (Russell Crowe depicted in the first Gladiator film)

MailOnline has contacted Paul's representatives for comment.

Paul will be joined by Denzel Washington in the film, which serves as a sequel to Ridley Scott's 2000 film Gladiator, starring Russell Crowe.

The original Gladiator won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Crowe.

While the new film, currently filming in Malta, brings back director Ridley Scott, Russell will not appear as his character died at the end of the original film.

Paul will lead the new film as Lucius, the nephew of Emperor Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) and the secret son of Crowe's character Maximus, who was saved by his father in the original film.

He was played as a child in Spencer Treat Clark's first film, but the Irish actor will take over the role.

Connie Neilsen will reprise her role as Lucilla, his mother, while Derek Jacobi will also return as a Roman senator and Djimon Hounsou will be back as a former gladiator and friend of Maximus.

Denzel Washington plays a major role in the cast, although his character has not yet been revealed.

But an insider told Daily Mail's Alison Boshoff that after the announcement, Paul took the lead on Ridley Scott's Roman epic sequel and quickly pulled out of the smaller project.

A Spy By Nature is based on the Milius novels by Charles Cumming and would be directed by Oscar winner Kevin Macdonald

Paul is joined by Denzel Washington in the film, which serves as a sequel to Ridley Scott's 2000 film Gladiator, starring Russell Crowe (pictured)

Pedro Pascal and Matt Lucas are among the new cast members, and Stranger Things breakout star Joseph Quinn will play Emperor Caracalla, who is often portrayed as a tyrant in the history of the time.

It comes after filming was thrown into chaos after crew members were reportedly injured in an explosion.

The long-awaited sequel, which comes more than twenty years after the original, was shot in Morocco and the neighboring Sahara.

Few details are available about the incident, but it appears that a special effects shot went wrong and caused the dangerous explosion.

One source on set shared hope that the injured crew members would make a full recovery, although their conditions are unclear.

“It was terrifying: a huge fireball flew up and hit several crew members in its path,” the source recalled. “In all the years I've been filming, I've never seen such a scary accident.”

The explosion is reportedly under investigation and witnesses to the explosion have reportedly speculated that it may have been caused by a break in the gas line on the set.

Gladiator 2 is expected to hit theaters in late 2024.