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Airdate: Those About To Die

A classic sword & sandal series stars Anthony Hopkins, Iwan Rheon and Rupert Penry Jones.

Historical action drama Those About To Die will screen on Prime Video in July.

The series from Roland Emmerich (Moonfall, Independence Day, Godzilla) is created by writer Robert Rodat (The Patriot, Saving Private Ryan), and inspired by the nonfiction book of the same name by Daniel P. Mannix.

Panem et Circenses – Bread and Entertainment; Rome in 79 A.D.: The centre of the Roman Empire is the wealthiest city in the world, and there is a heavy influx of slave laborers from the growing empire to take over the work. The Roman population—bored, restless, and increasingly violent—is kept in line mainly by two things: free food and spectacular entertainment, in the form of chariot racing and gladiator fights.

Those About to Die delves into the world of the games—a world characterised by bloodlust, greed for money, the pursuit of power, and corruption. The races at Circus Maximus are controlled by four Patrician-owned corporations, the Blue, Red, White, and Green factions, and shares in the four factions are the most valuable things in Rome. As the taste in entertainment of the populace becomes more jaded and bloodthirsty, a specially designed stadium for gladiatorial combat is needed – the Colosseum. The scale of the stadium as well as the gladiatorial and animal combats is enormous – same as the underworld with the flourishing betting business. Underground, beneath the stands, thousands of people work and live—among them thousands who will die for the games.

The world-class cast includes Academy Award® winner Sir Anthony Hopkins (The Silence of the Lambs, King Lear) as Emperor Vespasian, Iwan Rheon (Game of Thrones) as Tenax, Tom Hughes (The English, Victoria) as Titus Flavianus, Sara Martins (Tell No One, Death in Paradise) as Cala, and Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson (Game of Thrones) as Viggo, Jojo Macari (Sex Education) as Domitian, Gabriella Pession (Crossing Lines) as Antonia, Dimitri Leonidas (Rosewater, Renegades) as Scorpus, Emilio Sakraya (60 Minuten, Rheingold, 4 Blocks) as Xenon, Moe Hashim (Ted Lasso) as Kwame, Rupert Penry Jones (Whitechapel) as Marsus and others.

Those About to Die from AGC Television was co-commissioned by High End Productions, the Joint Venture recently created by Herbert G. Kloiber and Constantin Film, together with the American streaming provider Peacock and is produced by Centropolis Entertainment,

Hollywood Gang Productions and Street Entertainment. The series is created by Robert Rodat and directed by Roland Emmerich, together with Marco Kreuzpaintner (Beat, The Lazarus Project). Roland Emmerich, Harald Kloser, Gianni Nunnari, Stuart Ford, Lourdes Diaz, Miguel A. Palos Jr., Marco Kreuzpaintner, Robert Rodat, Herbert G. Kloiber, Martin Moszkowicz, Oliver Berben, Jonas Bauer, Charles Holland and Namit Malhotra are executive producers of the series.

All 10 episodes will be available just one day after the US launch, on Friday July 19 in Australia / NZ.

Violence.

2 Responses

  1. ‘Those About to Die’ has a been there, done that feel about it. The 2010 Starz Spartacus series will take some beating as far as in your face stylized sex and violence is concerned and it also had a cheaper production budget too. Roland Emmerich is best known as ”The master of disaster”, so this TV revamp of the classic sword and sandal epic will be interesting. If done well this ‘historical’ series could begin a new Roman Empire revival on our small screens.

    1. ‘Rome’ was killed off by the sheer cost of making it after 2 acclaimed seasons-and gladiators are a well covered theme in films and TV (mostly dramatized docos).

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