Paul Mescal Lands First Producer Credit on Gay Romance ‘History of Sound’ Co-Starring Josh O’Connor

TV heartthrob, indie film hero, savior of Rome and now … producer.

Paul Mescal may be Hollywood’s newest blockbuster leading man thanks to Ridley Scott’s epic sequel “Gladiator II,” but the young Irish actor is already taking his first steps behind the camera.

On “The History of Sound,” the LGBTQ romance drama announced back in 2021 in which he stars alongside Josh O’Connor, Variety can reveal that Mescal also serves as exec producer, marking his first production credit.

The film — which finished production earlier this year and was the first project Mescal shot after “Gladiator II” — is directed by Oliver Hermanus (“Living,” “Moffie”) from a screenplay by Ben Shattuck, adapted from Shattuck’s award-winning short story. Mescal has been involved as an exec producer from the outset.

Now in post-production, “The History of Sound” follows two young men — Lionel (Mescal) and David (O’Connor) — in the shadows of WWI who are determined to record the lives, voices and music of their American countrymen. As they begin to log the events, the two fall in love.

Speaking to Variety as part of his cover story interview, Mescal said that, alongside Shattuck and Hermanus, he felt that he “knows the story better than anyone else” and wanted to be “more involved and have some say” in terms of its distribution. He also said that, of all the scripts he’s ever read, “that’s the one that broke my heart the most.”

“This is an unexpected love story that needs to be told — it is a journey through the life of America, across the 20th century and the traditions of American folk music, all seen through the bond between two men immersed in the history of sound,” Hermanus said at the time of the film’s announcement. “This undeniably powerful story will certainly resonate with audiences the world over.”

“The History of Sound” is being produced by End Cue’s Andrew Kortschak (“Cop Car,” “The Art of Self-Defense”) and Lisa Ciuffetti (“The Clovehitch Killer,” “The Art of Self-Defense”) alongside Andrea Roa (“It Comes at Night”). Film4 are co-financing the production.

Paramount’s “Gladiator II,” which had its global premiere in London on Wednesday night, is set to hit theaters on Nov. 15 in the U.K. and Nov. 22 in the U.S.