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Anthony Hopkins Joins Gladiator Drama Series "Those About To Die"
Anthony Hopkins has boarded Roland Emmerich’s gladiator series Those About to Die. The Oscar winner will play Emperor Vespasian in the Peacock drama, which is being produced by AGC Television and is written by Oscar-nominated “Saving Private Ryan” writer Robert Rodat. Peacock handed a straight-to-series order last summer.
Hopkins is the first major cast member announced for the project. He will play Vespasian, a Roman emperor and rural upstart who claimed his throne after victory in a bloody ten-year civil war. Vespasian’s character description describes the character as “battle tested, a rural upstart who claimed his throne after victory in a bloody ten-year civil war. He is aging and is despised by the Patricians jockeying for position in the Empire and looking to supplant his heirs to the throne the first chance they get.” The series, which is inspired by Daniel Mannix’s eponymous nonfiction book, is a large-scale drama set within the spectacular, complex and corrupt world of gladiatorial sports in Ancient Rome. It introduces an ensemble of diverse characters across the many layers of Roman society where sports, politics and business intersect and collide.
Those About To Die marks Emmerich’s first TV project in a decade since making his television directorial debut in 2012 with "Dark Horse". He is best known for directing disaster survival films like "Universal Soldier", "Independence Day", "Godzilla", "The Day After Tomorrow", "2012", and "Moonfall". Additional executive producers are Gianni Nunnari, Harald Kloser, Herbert G. Kloiber, Oliver Berben, Martin Moszkowicz, Stuart Ford, Lourdes Diaz, and Jonas Bauer. The show will be shot at Rome’s storied Cinecitta Studios.
Anthony Hopkins in 2021 won an Oscar for his performance in “The Father” and previously won the best actor Academy Award for “Silence of the Lambs.” He has also been Oscar nominated for his roles in “The Remains of the Day,” “Nixon,” “The Two Popes” and “Amistad.” This show marks Hopkins’ first major TV series in four years since making his last appearance as Dr. Robert Ford during the second season of the sci-fi drama "Westworld".
