A few months before the premiere of the sequel to Gladiator, inspired by the same book that the first film by Ridley Scott, Those about to Die has hit the screens, a historical fiction series that delves into the "spectacular, complex, and corrupt world of chariot races and gladiator fights in ancient Rome," according to the official synopsis.

Created by Robert Rodat, the Oscar-nominated screenwriter for Saving Private Ryan, directed by Roland Emmerich (Moonfall, Independence Day, Godzilla), and starring Sir Anthony Hopkins,, the ten-episode series is inspired by the non-fiction book of the same name written by Daniel P. Mannix and delves into the world of games, a world characterized by bloodlust, greed for money, thirst for power, and corruption.

Panem et Circenses - Bread and circuses, Rome, 79 AD: the center of the Roman Empire is the richest city in the world, and there is a great influx of slave workers from the growing empire to take care of the work. The Roman population (bored, restless, and increasingly violent) is kept in check thanks to two things: free food and spectacular entertainment, in the form of chariot races and gladiator battles.

The races in the Circus Maximus are controlled by four authorities owned by the aristocracy, the Blue, Red, White, and Green factions, and the actions of those factions are the most valuable in Rome.

As the people's taste for entertainment turns bloodier, a stadium will be designed specifically for gladiator combat: the Colosseum. The scale of the stadium and the fights between gladiators and animals will be immense, as will be the underworld of the flourishing betting business.

An imperial cast

Two-time Oscar winner Sir Anthony Hopkins (The Silence of the Lambs, King Lear) portrays Emperor Vespasian, alongside him are Iwan Rheon (Game of Thrones) as Tenax; Tom Hughes (The English, Victoria) as Titus Flavius; Sara Martins (Don't Tell Anyone, Death in Paradise) as Cala, and Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson (Game of Thrones) as Viggo.

Also featured are Jojo Macari (Sex Education) as Domitian; Gabriella Pession (Crossing Lines) as Antonia; Dimitri Leonidas (Rosewater, Renegades) as Scorpius; Emilio Sakraya (60 minutes, Rhinegold - Pure Gold, 4 Blocks) as Zenon; Moe Hashim (Ted Lasso) as Kwame; and Rupert Penry Jones (Whitechapel) as Marsus, among others.

The ten-episode miniseries is an original production by Peacock that premiered on August 9th exclusively on Prime Video in Spain, Amazon's streaming platform. 

*This article has been automatically translated using artificial intelligence