Anthony Hopkins Lends Serious Gravitas to Peacock's 'Those About to Die' Teaser
Anthony Hopkins in the "Those About to Die" Key Art
(Photo: Peacock)
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.)
The teaser, which premiered during Wrestlemania, features very little actual footage, but Hopkins' Very Serious Voiceover promises a gripping story of power, politics, and bloodshed.
Here's the official synopsis.
Those About To Die is an epic drama set in the corrupt world of the spectacle-driven gladiatorial competition, exploring a side of ancient Rome never before told — the dirty business of entertaining the masses, giving the mob what they want most…blood and sport. The series introduces an ensemble of characters from all corners of the Roman Empire who collide at the explosive intersection of sports, politics, and dynasties.
Alongside Hopkins, the series also stars Iwan Rheon (Game of Thrones), Sara Martins (Death in Paradise), Tom Hughes (Victoria), Jojo Macari (Sex Education), Moe Hashim (Ted Lasso), Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson (Vikings: Valhalla), Rupert Penry-Jones (Our House), Gabriella Pession (Station 19), Dimitri Leonidas (Masters of the Air), Emilio Sakraya (Warrior Nun), David Wurawa (Shadow and Bone), Pepe Barroso (Gran Turismo), Gonçalo Almeida (Monte Clerigo), Eneko Sagardoy (Irati), and Romana Maggiora Vergano (There's Still Tomorrow).
Emmerich, Harald Kloser, and Gianni Nunnari obtained the rights to Mannix's book and developed the series. All three serve as executive producers, with Emmerich directing five of the series' ten episodes and Marco Kreuzpaintner helming the other half. Stuart Ford, Lourdes Diaz, Miguel A. Palos Jr, Robert Rodat, Herbert G. Kloiber, Martin Moszkowicz, Oliver Berben, Jonas Bauer, Charles Holland, Namit Malhotra, and Kreuzpaintner all also executive producers on the show.
All ten episodes of Those About to Die will premiere on Peacock on Thursday, July 18, 2024.
