Summary
-
Those About to Die
promises gladiatorial mayhem in Ancient Rome, with Anthony Hopkins leading the show as Roman Emperor Vespasian. - Director Roland Emmerich’s CGI extravaganza aims to blend history and action, drawing inspiration from
Game of Thrones
‘ visual thrills. - Peacock’s new series must avoid past mistakes of similar sword-and-sandal epics to connect with a large audience in the streaming world.
You could be forgiven for not knowing the historical figure Vespasian, as the Roman emperor ruled for only a decade during the whirlwind first 100 years, Anno Domini. With Peacock’s new historical series, Those About to Die, that is all set to change. The series cast Anthony Hopkins as the embattled ruler, with director Roland Emmerich using his penchant for grand scale and disastrous outcomes to helm this series.
Still, what is most exciting about this venture into the waning days of the Roman Empire won’t be the historical component — as much as the gladiatorial violence that took place within the Colosseum in the center of Rome. Construction of the still-standing arena of battle began under Vespasian, and the battles that took place inside could match the scale of Game of Thrones, only with some actual historical context. Whether Those About to Die can match the incredible writing of Thrones is yet to be seen, but with an enormous budget dedicated to next-level CGI and some bloody swords-and-sandals showdowns, audiences are champing at the bit to see it.
A Master of Disaster Gets Historical in Those About to Die
Roland Emmerich is best known for his disaster films, Independence Day principal among them, thanks to his unique ability to utilize scale models and CGI to make places go boom. Alas, given the historical constraints, Emmerich won’t have his favorite filmmaking tool — really big explosions — at his disposal. But that shouldn’t hold back what is slated to be a CGI extravaganza, with Emmerich hiring his frequent collaborator, visual effects supervisor Peter Travers, to re-create Ancient Rome.
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In only 100 shooting days, Emmerich and Travers pushed the boundaries of what can be done on a virtual production stage. “This wouldn’t have worked if we didn’t have somebody like Roland,” opined Travers for The Credits, “who has been pushing the latest technology during his whole career. He pushed the virtual production wall to its breaking point every day, which broke on some days. He would just then pull back a little bit to where it worked, and then he’d get the shot.” That means the series could provide all the visual thrills necessary for Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon fans.
How Those About to Die Can Perfectly Blend History and Action Like GoT
The series promises to depict all the chariot races, man vs. beast clashes, and gory kills to keep pace with GoT, and has even repurposed some cast members from the original HBO series. Though it is obviously more grandiose than these real-life histories, it also promises to provide plenty of historical tie-ins, with Saving Private Ryan scribe Robert Rodat attempting to keep a fantastical story grounded in reality. Still, just as there is the A.D. era, there is the post-GoT era, as well, and this Peacock series would do well to mimic all the sex, torture, and depravity of its predecessor.
At 86, it’s hard to say how long Anthony Hopkins will want to continue with the series. Given his character Vespasian’s short reign in Rome, that could mean the arc of the first season focuses on those early days of the Colosseum right before Vespasian’s death. In the cast, he will be joined by GoT alum Iwan Rheon, who played Ramsey Bolton, the sadistically evil foil to Jon Snow, and a major part of the epic “Battle of the Bastards.”
Those About to Die Must Avoid Prior Mistakes in the Swords-and-Sandals Realm
Upon viewing Those About to Die‘s epic full-length trailer, it is easy to deduce that the series gives plenty of nods to earlier Roman epics like Spartacus and Ben-Hur, but the series will benefit from advancements that an earlier HBO series, Rome, didn’t have at its disposal. Rome never quite got off the ground, getting canceled after only two seasons with then-HBO chairman Chris Albrecht citing the exorbitant costs to shoot the show. In many ways, Game of Thrones learned from those mistakes, crafting a show that was more entertaining and driven by action as much as dialogue.
More important to Those About to Die‘s financial prospects is the steadying presence of a big name, Sir Anthony Hopkins — to bring some much-needed star power to a show in its early days. Even House of Dragon suffered fits and starts after the premiere of its early episodes, thanks to some critical derision. Now, House of the Dragon is hitting its stride, and Peacock would do well to give Those About to Die the necessary amount of time to connect with a large audience.
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It’s been a while since a swords-and-sandals property caused a stir, but films like 300 provided a road map of ultra-violence that appears Those About to Die will follow. With Gladiator 2 on the horizon, as well, this genre could again become popular. Still, GoT is now the measuring stick for epic premium series, and Those About to Die will have that previous series’ long-shadow cast across it, particularly if it hopes to corner some of Max’s enormous market share in the streaming realm. Stream Those About to Die on Peacock.