Roland Emmerich teases new gladiator series Those About to Die

Roland Emmerich is officially heading back to television, teasing his upcoming series Those About to Die. That sounds like it could have been the title of most of his works, but this time around Emmerich is stepping into the arena to focus on the world of gladiators.

Roland Emmerich took to Instagram over the weekend to show off new promotional art for Those About to Die which features star Anthony Hopkins and the release date: July 18th, 2024. He captioned the photo by writing, “For there are those about to rise and… THOSE ABOUT TO DIE”. Peacock has also released the teaser, although don’t expect to see any footage.

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It’s a solid enough poster which seems designed to try to snag some leftover Game of Thrones fans with its stark imagery, dreary facial expressions and font style. Whether or not Those About to Die matches the visual aesthetic or goes for something unique to Emmerich is something we’ll have to wait to check out but we can see Emmerich delivering a solid series for Peacock here.

Those About to Die – which is based on Daniel P. Mannix’s book – sounds like something that could have fit with the Starz lineup a handful of years ago, but now that Peacock is trying to make a name for themselves with original programming, it could be a welcome home for Emmerich, especially as their first historical drama.

While announcing Those About to Die, Emmerich said, “I have always been fascinated by the history of the Roman Empire…So much still seems relevant for our society today – from the entanglement of politics and sports to the disciplines of the competitions, which haven’t changed much either over the last 2000 years. The most electrifying spectacles for the masses still involve two men in an arena, beating each other up, and the chariots of today are called race cars whose drivers still crash and often pay with their lives.”

Like his star Anthony Hopkins, Roland Emmerich hasn’t done a whole lot of television as of late. While Hopkins did at least have an important role on Westworld, it has been over a decade since Emmerich worked on the small screen, which will no doubt be a draw for his fans. But as he all know, this isn’t the first time Anthony Hopkins was glad he ate ‘er!

Are you looking forward to Those About to Die? Let us know below!