Gladiator 2 won’t arrive until this fall, but Peacock’s new original series, Those About To Die, is reviving the gladiatorial games a few months early. The show is based on the novel of the same name by Daniel P. Mannix, which was also used as the basis for Ridley Scott’s Gladiator and its sequel. However, the first full trailer for Those About To Die reminds us more of Starz’s Spartacus series than the Gladiator movie starring Russell Crowe.
Anthony Hopkins has top billing in this series as Emperor Vespasian, which is also his first leading role on television since HBO’s Westworld. Vespasian doesn’t have a lot to do in the trailer beyond introducing the games with a possible hint of madness in his face and voice. But instead of focusing on the emperor, the trailer introduces the show’s supporting cast.
Although the trailer doesn’t spend enough time with any single character to learn too much about them, they all share a common goal of finding glory in the arena. Even the lower class citizens of Rome believe that they can increase their fortunes by pushing the games into greater spectacle by flooding the arena or unleashing wild animals against lightly armed gladiators.
In addition to Hopkins, the rest of the cast includes Dimitri Leonidas as Scorpus, Jojo Macari as Domitian Flavianus, Gabriella Pession as Antonia, Iwan Rheon as Tenax, Sara Martins-Court as Cala, Moe Hashim as Kwame, David Wurawa as Gavros, Tom Hughes as Titus Flavianus, Lara Wolf as Berenice, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson as Viggo, Adrian Bouchet as Porto, Rupert Penry-Jones as Marsus, and Angeliqa Devi as Caltonia.
Independence Day helmer Roland Emmerich is executive producing the series and directing episodes alongside Marco Kreuzpaintner, while veteran TV writer and executive producer Robert Rodat serves as the showrunner. Peacock will premiere all 10 episodes of Those About To Die on July 18.
