2024 is shaping as much as be a humiliation of riches for Roman historical past buffs, with initiatives as various as Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator 2” and Francis Ford Coppola’s Rome-inspired sci-fi epic “Megalopolis” anticipated to hit theaters later this 12 months. The period may also be well-represented on tv because of Roland Emmerich’s upcoming Peacock sequence “These About to Die.”
The ten-episode sequence, which stars Anthony Hopkins as Roman Emperor Vespasian, is about on the earth of gladiatorial fight. Tailored from Daniel P. Mannix’s nonfiction ebook of the identical identify, the present was developed by Robert Rodat and directed by Emmerich and Marco Kreuzpaintner. Along with Hopkins, the ensemble forged consists of Iwan Rheon, Sara Martins, Tom Hughes, Jojo Macari, and Moe Hashim.
“I’ve all the time been fascinated by the historical past of the Roman Empire,” Emmerich stated in an announcement saying the sequence. “A lot nonetheless appears related for our society as we speak – from the entanglement of politics and sports activities to the disciplines of the competitions, which haven’t modified a lot both during the last 2000 years. Essentially the most electrifying spectacles for the plenty nonetheless contain two males in an enviornment, beating one another up, and the chariots of as we speak are referred to as race vehicles whose drivers nonetheless crash and sometimes pay with their lives.”
All 10 episodes of “These About to Die” debut on Peacock on Thursday, July 18. Watch the teaser beneath.