Anthony Hopkins Lends Serious Gravitas to Peacock's 'Those About to Die' Teaser

Peacock has released the teaser for its upcoming Roman period drama Those About to Die, an expensive-looking epic helmed by Roland Emmerich, who is returning to directing television for the first time since 2012. The streamer also announced that the ten-episode series will premiere as a binge-release this July.

Based on Daniel P. Mannix's nonfiction book of the same name, Those About to Die tells a story of the high-stakes, spectacle-filled world of gladiatorial competitions, which likely means it will be quite violent and have a reasonably high body count. The great Sir Anthony Hopkins (Freud's Last Session) stars as Emperor Vespasian, the founder of the Flavian dynasty and the man credited with restoring stability to Rome after a year of political chaos that included a civil war and four different emperors taking power over a twelve-month period.

Historians have noted an increased amount of propaganda during Vespasian's reign, as the emperor gave financial rewards to writers and punished those who spoke against him. That he might use gladiatorial games — or more specifically, the concept of "bread and circuses" — for his own benefit makes plenty of sense, given that he was also the emperor who began construction on the famous Roman Colosseum. (The third level was finished by the time of his death in 79 A.D.)