Gladiators are set to clash, as Roland Emmerich and Marco Kreuzpaintner's latest television show, Those About to Die, began production today at Cinecitta Studios in Italy. Based on screenplays written by Robert Rodat, the series is described as a drama set in the complex and corrupt world of ancient Rome’s spectacle-driven gladiatorial competition. The series introduces an ensemble of characters from all corners of the Roman Empire who collide at the explosive intersection of sports, politics, and dynasties. A display of the intense physicality, danger, and excitement of Rome's culture will be explored within the story of the Peacock show.
It was previously announced that Sir Anthony Hopkins will star as Vespasian, the Emperor of Rome and head of the Flavian bloodline. But, as production begins on the highly ambitious series, Johannes Haukur Johannesson is joining the cast as Viggo. The character will be an imposing Norse gladiator, an expert at fighting with weapons. The historical drama setting won't be new territory for Johannesson, who previously appeared in Netflix's Vikings: Valhalla, where he played Jarl Olaf Haraldsson. It is currently unknown if there will be a connection between Johannesson's character and Hopkins'.
New additions to the cast of Those About to Die also include Iwan Rheon and Liraz Charhi. Rheon will portray Tenax, an ambitious crime lord, while Charhi is set to play Berenice, Queen of the conquered Judeans currently held captive in Rome. Similar to Game of Thrones, the show will include violence and betrayal while the characters struggle for political power. But unlike Westeros, which includes dragons and magic, Emmerich's new project will be set in the real world, centuries before modern times. While the production design might tease a fantasy story, there will be nothing coming from a fairy tale in the gladiator fights to come.
Emmerich's Last Project Took Us To The Moon
Before he began developing Those About to Die for Peacock, Emmerich was focused on releasing last year's Moonfall. Starring Halle Berry as Jocinda Fowler, the film told the story of a space crew that flew outside the Earth to attend a repair mission. They would soon discover that a space station was attacked by alien technology, uncovering a larger conspiracy that indicated how the moon is actually a mega-structure built by extraterrestrials. The movie continued the director's tendencies seen in other projects from his filmography, such as intense explosions and the planet being in imminent danger.
While you wait for Those About to Die, you can check out Collider's interview with Roland Emmerich below: