Anthony Hopkins, Emperor from the peplum series by Roland Emmerich (teaser)

The peplum series Those About to Die will be available on July 18 in the United States, on Peacock. And in France ?

“The story of history is just a story of war. It's not just those that take place on the battlefields, those that take place in whispers in palaces or in front of crowds in the arenas, citizens of Rome, play your games well. For there are those who will rise and those who will die.”

It's the recognizable voice ofAnthony Hopkins who opens this first teaser of Those About to Die. At the same time, the ingredients of a successful epic unfold: an emperor, tributes, a Roman orgy, legionnaires, a foreman, a patrician, plebeians, a chariot race, a gladiator fight. The new Peacock series promises a real dive into the arena.

At the helm: Robert Rodatto whom we owe in particular the scenario ofWe have to save the soldier Ryanand the series Falling Skyfor which he finds Steven Spielberg (to production). His adaptation of the novel by Daniel P. Mannix is brought to the screen by Roland Emmerich (Independence Day) And Marco Kreuzpainterwho will both direct the ten episodes that make up this first season (five each).

While Gladiator 2 will arrive in cinemas next November, and after the success of the HBO series Romethis production also dusts off the peplum, a genre which seems to be on the rise again after an initial renaissance in the 2000s.

Fiction inspired by some real characters, Those About to Die based on Anthony Hopkins to interpret Emperor Vespasian, founder of the Flavian dynasty and perpetuator of the tradition of “bread and games” (“Panem et circenses”). After a foray into SF with Westworldprematurely canceled by HBO, the 86 actor returns to the small screen, while his film A life is still in theaters.

To accompany him, Dimitri Leonidas (Doctor Who), Jojo Macari (Sex Education), Gabriella Pession (Crossing Lines), Iwan Rheon (Game Of Thrones) and a French woman, Sarah Martins (Murders in Paradise).

Those About to Die will be available on July 18 on Peacock in the United States. In France, the series will be available on Prime Video, but we do not yet know when.

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