The article contains spoilers for Gladiator II.Following Gladiator II backlash for cutting May Calamawy from the sequel, a producer finally clarifies what happened. Ridley Scott finally returns to the fantastical world of his Oscar-winning 2000 epic movie, with Lucius Verus (Paul Mescal) becoming the lead hero in his story. Part of the Gladiator II cast was supposed to include Calamawy, who was reported to have a leading role in the sequel. However, her role was completely cut from the movie’s final edit, which led to many speculations about this decision.
https://screenrant.com/gladiator-2-may-calamawy-casting-cut-backlash-producer-response/