Paul Mescal is entering the colosseum that is Studio 8H. The “Gladiator II” star was revealed to be the next of “Saturday Night Live” during Charli XCX’s episode this weekend. Shaboozey was also announced as a musical guest.
Mescal and Shaboozey will feature on the Dec. 7 episode of “SNL,” which will mark the program’s first episode after a three-week hiatus through the Thanksgiving holiday.
The “SNL” episode will come two weeks after Mescal’s “Gladiator II” hits theaters in North America. In Ridley Scott’s sequel to his 2000 best picture winner, Mescal stars as Hanno, the former heir to the Roman empire now forced to return to his home and fight as a gladiator. The film also stars Pedro Pascal, Connie Nielsen, Fred Hechinger, Joseph Quinn and Denzel Washington.
“Saturday Night Live” Season 50 kicked off with host Jean Smart and musical guest Jelly Roll. Both had big nights at the Emmys two weeks prior — Smart won best lead actress in a comedy series for Season 3 of “Hacks,” and Jelly Roll performed during the “In Memoriam” segment.
The schedule rounded out with Nate Bargatze and Coldplay on Oct. 5, Ariana Grande and Stevie Nicks on Oct. 12, Michael Keaton and Billie Eilish on Oct. 19, and John Mulaney and Chappell Roan on Nov. 2.
Comedian Bill Burr hosted the post-election episode on Nov. 9 with musical guest Mk.gee, and Charli XCX pulled double-duty on Nov. 16.
“Saturday Night Live” is celebrating its 50th anniversary with a live primetime special on Feb. 16. The series airs on NBC at 11:30 p.m. ET and streams on Peacock.
“SNL” is produced in association with Broadway Video. Lorne Michaels is creator and executive producer.