{ "id": "ep0wpnz1qy", "slug": "those-about-to-die", "title": "Those About to Die", "updated": "2026-11-01", "topic_path": [ { "id": "culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture" }, { "id": "culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series", "label": "Series and fictional screen worlds", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv", "label": "Scripted television and comedy series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv.drama-prestige-series", "label": "Drama and prestige series (individual series)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv.drama-prestige-series" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv.drama-prestige-series.historical-and-period-drama", "label": "Historical and period drama", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv.drama-prestige-series.historical-and-period-drama" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv.drama-prestige-series", "label": "United States · 2021 and later: Drama and prestige series (individual series)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv.drama-prestige-series", "path": [ { "id": "geo.us", "label": "United States", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021", "label": "United States · 2021 and later", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.culture" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.culture.performance" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series", "label": "Series and fictional screen worlds", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv", "label": "Scripted television and comedy series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv.drama-prestige-series", "label": "Drama and prestige series (individual series)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv.drama-prestige-series" } ] } ], "excerpt": "Those About to Die is a 2024 Peacock/Prime Video historical drama series, 10 episodes, set in 79 AD Rome under Vespasian. Created by Robert Rodat, directed by Roland Emmerich, starring Anthony Hopkins, based on Daniel P. Mannix's 1958 book; Metacritic 49, no Season 2 announced.", "snippet": "Those About to Die is a 2024 Peacock/Prime Video historical drama series, 10 episodes, set in 79 AD Rome under Vespasian. Created by Robert Rodat, directed by Roland Emmerich, starring Anthony Hopkins, based on Daniel P. Mannix's 1958 book; Metacritic 49, no Season 2 announced.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv.drama-prestige-series.historical-and-period-drama", "markdown": "# Those About to Die\n\n**Those About to Die** is a 2024 American historical drama television series set in ancient Rome during the reign of Emperor Vespasian, centered on the gladiatorial games, chariot racing, and the gambling economy that surrounded them. It premiered on July 18, 2024, on Peacock in the United States and on Prime Video in many international markets, with all ten episodes of its first season released at once.[1](https://www.peacocktv.com/blog/those-about-to-die-trailer-new-images-and-release-date) • [2](https://www.cinemablend.com/streaming-news/watch-those-about-to-die)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Premiere | July 18, 2024, all 10 episodes at once on Peacock (US) and Prime Video (international)[1](https://www.peacocktv.com/blog/those-about-to-die-trailer-new-images-and-release-date) • [2](https://www.cinemablend.com/streaming-news/watch-those-about-to-die) |\n| Setting | Rome in 79 AD, during the reign of Emperor Vespasian and the construction of the Flavian Amphitheatre (Colosseum)[3](https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/inside-how-peacocks-those-about-to-die-brought-ancient-rome-to-life) |\n| Source material | Daniel P. Mannix's 1958 nonfiction book of the same name, which also inspired Ridley Scott's *Gladiator*[4](https://www.thewrap.com/those-about-to-die-review-peacock-anthony-hopkins/) |\n| Key creatives | Written by Robert Rodat; directed by Roland Emmerich and Marco Kreuzpaintner; Emmerich's television debut[5](https://time.com/6999115/those-about-to-die-review/) |\n| Budget | Reported at about $150 million for the 10-episode first season[5](https://time.com/6999115/those-about-to-die-review/) |\n| Reception | Metacritic metascore 49 (mixed or average); Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer 46%[6](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/those-about-to-die/critic-reviews/) • [7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/those_about_to_die/s01) |\n| Viewership | No. 6 on Nielsen's US streaming-originals chart for July 22–28, 2024, with 399 million minutes viewed[8](https://www.documentarytube.com/blog/those-about-to-die-season-2-is-not-confirmed-what-roland-emmerich-actually-said/) |\n| Continuation | No second season has been officially announced; Emmerich described the project as intended to be a trilogy[8](https://www.documentarytube.com/blog/those-about-to-die-season-2-is-not-confirmed-what-roland-emmerich-actually-said/) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Premise and cast\n\nThe series is set in 79 AD, at the moment when the city is celebrating the arrival of a new spectacle, the Flavian Amphitheatre, and the empire's future depends on a potentially fractured dynasty. [Anthony Hopkins](https://www.edgepedia.org/anthony-hopkins) plays the ailing Emperor Vespasian, who must keep the games running to hold public favor while sensing plots against his rule.[3](https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/inside-how-peacocks-those-about-to-die-brought-ancient-rome-to-life) • [9](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/those-about-to-die)\n\nThe ensemble follows several intersecting storylines. Vespasian's sons Titus ([Tom Hughes](https://www.edgepedia.org/tom-hughes-actor)), a soldier, and Domitian (Jojo Macari), a politician, maneuver for succession. The street-smart bookmaker Tenax ([Iwan Rheon](https://www.edgepedia.org/iwan-rheon)) tries to rise into Rome's elite by building a chariot racing team. Cala ([Sara Martins](https://www.edgepedia.org/sara-martins)), a Numidian mother, travels to Rome to rescue her children from slavery, one of whom, Kwame (Moe Hashim), is forced into the arena as a gladiator. The cast also includes Gabriella Pession as Antonia, Rupert Penry-Jones as the consul Marsus, Dimitri Leonidas as the charioteer Scorpus, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson as Viggo, and Lara Wolf as Berenice.[10](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/article/2024/jul/19/those-about-to-die-review-anthony-hopkinss-rome-epic-is-disgustingly-effective) • [11](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggEsFczy9xM)\n\n## Production\n\nFilming began in Rome in 2023, with AGC Studios and Gianni Nunnari's High End Productions producing; Nunnari had acquired the rights to Mannix's book.[12](https://www.weintraub.com/2023/05/wt-clients-agc-studios-and-gianni-nunnari-begin-filming-those-about-to-die/) The production was based at the Cinecittà Studios in Rome, the facility that also hosted HBO's *Rome* and classic epics such as *Ben-Hur* and *Cleopatra*.[4](https://www.thewrap.com/those-about-to-die-review-peacock-anthony-hopkins/) • [13](https://www.br.de/nachrichten/kultur/serie-those-about-to-die-willkommen-in-der-trash-antike%2CUIxzbFA)\n\n**Virtual production.** The series made extensive use of an LED Volume screen, the same technology used on *The Mandalorian*, to recreate ancient Rome's monuments and the [Circus Maximus](https://www.edgepedia.org/circus-maximus) racing venue. Emmerich, new to the technology, said he shot 108 days on the Volume stage and increasingly preferred it to location work.[3](https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/inside-how-peacocks-those-about-to-die-brought-ancient-rome-to-life) • [14](https://dimensionstudio.co/news/those-about-to-die-bts-breakdown/)\n\n## Historical basis and accuracy\n\nThe series adapts Daniel P. Mannix's 1958 nonfiction account of the Roman games, but it is a fictionalized drama rather than a documentary reconstruction. According to the production, only four characters are drawn from history: the three Flavians, Vespasian, Titus, and Domitian, and Berenice, the Jewish queen whose relationship with Titus the series depicts; historical advisor Justin Pollard notes she was exiled from Rome because an Eastern woman was not acceptable as a partner for an imperial family member.[15](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/tvfilm/those-about-to-die-true-story-prime-video-rome-b1171032.html) The Flavian dynasty itself is historical: [Vespasian](https://www.edgepedia.org/vespasian) really did have sons named Titus and Domitian who succeeded him.[16](https://www.escapistmagazine.com/is-those-about-to-die-based-on-a-true-story/)\n\nThe show employed historical advisors, including Justin Pollard and Alexander Mariotti, a specialist on gladiatorial combat credited as the series' [Colosseum](https://www.edgepedia.org/colosseum) consultant. Mariotti has pointed out that gladiators rarely actually died in arena combat, and that the famous line \"those about to die\" historically came not from the Colosseum but from criminals saying it sarcastically before a naval battle staged by Emperor Claudius in which the ships were to be set on fire. He described his role bluntly: the productions are entertainment, not documentaries, and his advice is often set aside.[17](https://www.theguardian.com/film/article/2024/jul/23/gladiator-epic-myths-those-about-to-die-slaughter-colosseum) Emmerich himself, responding to criticism of the show's historical errors, said \"we didn't make a documentary.\"[18](https://www.serienjunkies.de/news/redaktion/die-bei-prime-video-der-grosse-historische-fakten-check-those-about-to-93226593.html)\n\n## Reception\n\nCritical response was mixed. The season holds a Metacritic metascore of 49, with 4 positive, 13 mixed, and 6 negative reviews among 23 counted, and a 46% Tomatometer on Rotten Tomatoes.[6](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/those-about-to-die/critic-reviews/) • [7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/those_about_to_die/s01) Reviewers frequently compared it to earlier Roman dramas: The Guardian called it an attempt to be \"Game of Thrones in togas\" built on gore and cheap thrills,[10](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/article/2024/jul/19/those-about-to-die-review-anthony-hopkinss-rome-epic-is-disgustingly-effective) while the Los Angeles Times placed it closer to melodrama than to the relatively cerebral HBO series *Rome*, noting that the digital backgrounds sometimes pull the viewer \"into a video game.\"[19](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2024-07-18/those-about-to-die-review-peacock) TIME criticized the large cast and the male-centered framing, noting that 13 of the 14 executive producers were men, but acknowledged the reported $150 million budget and the spectacle.[5](https://time.com/6999115/those-about-to-die-review/) More favorable reviews praised the gladiatorial combat and chariot racing sequences; Variety wrote that the show \"earns a thumbs up to fight another day.\"[6](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/those-about-to-die/critic-reviews/)\n\nThe series drew a measurable audience. It ranked [No. 6](https://www.edgepedia.org/no-6) on Nielsen's US streaming-originals chart for the week of July 22–28, 2024, with 399 million minutes viewed.[8](https://www.documentarytube.com/blog/those-about-to-die-season-2-is-not-confirmed-what-roland-emmerich-actually-said/)\n\n## Future\n\nAt the July 2024 [San Diego Comic-Con](https://www.edgepedia.org/san-diego-comic-con), Emmerich said the show was \"supposed to be a trilogy,\" while making clear that continuation depended on its success. As of later reporting, Peacock has not announced a second season, and no production schedule, episode order, or cast announcement exists; the series is best described as not officially renewed rather than formally canceled.[8](https://www.documentarytube.com/blog/those-about-to-die-season-2-is-not-confirmed-what-roland-emmerich-actually-said/)\n\n## References\n\n1. [Those About to Die: Trailer, New Images, and Release Date, Peacock](https://www.peacocktv.com/blog/those-about-to-die-trailer-new-images-and-release-date)\n2. [Where To Watch Those About To Die Online, CinemaBlend](https://www.cinemablend.com/streaming-news/watch-those-about-to-die)\n3. [Inside How Peacock's Those About to Die Brought Ancient Rome to Life, SYFY WIRE](https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/inside-how-peacocks-those-about-to-die-brought-ancient-rome-to-life)\n4. [Those About to Die Review: Anthony Hopkins Barely Leads Gladiator Drama, TheWrap](https://www.thewrap.com/those-about-to-die-review-peacock-anthony-hopkins/)\n5. [Those About to Die Is a Lurid Sports Soap for Men Who Can't Stop Thinking About the Roman Empire, TIME](https://time.com/6999115/those-about-to-die-review/)\n6. [Those About To Die Critic Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/those-about-to-die/critic-reviews/)\n7. [Those About to Die: Season 1, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/those_about_to_die/s01)\n8. [Those About to Die Season 2 Is Not Confirmed: What Roland Emmerich Actually Said, DocumentaryTube](https://www.documentarytube.com/blog/those-about-to-die-season-2-is-not-confirmed-what-roland-emmerich-actually-said/)\n9. [Those About to Die – streaming tv show online, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/those-about-to-die)\n10. [Those About to Die review – Anthony Hopkins's Rome epic is disgustingly effective, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/article/2024/jul/19/those-about-to-die-review-anthony-hopkinss-rome-epic-is-disgustingly-effective)\n11. [The Roman Empire's Influence on Sports Through the Lens of \"Those About to Die\", IGN](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggEsFczy9xM)\n12. [WT Clients: AGC Studios and Gianni Nunnari Begin Filming 'Those About to Die', Weintraub Tobin](https://www.weintraub.com/2023/05/wt-clients-agc-studios-and-gianni-nunnari-begin-filming-those-about-to-die/)\n13. [Serie \"Those About To Die\": Willkommen in der Trash-Antike, BR24](https://www.br.de/nachrichten/kultur/serie-those-about-to-die-willkommen-in-der-trash-antike%2CUIxzbFA)\n14. [The virtual production of Roland Emmerich's Those About to Die, Dimension Studio](https://dimensionstudio.co/news/those-about-to-die-bts-breakdown/)\n15. [Those About to Die: the gory true story behind Prime Video's new gladiatorial epic, The Standard](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/tvfilm/those-about-to-die-true-story-prime-video-rome-b1171032.html)\n16. [Is Those About to Die Based on a True Story?, Escapist Magazine](https://www.escapistmagazine.com/is-those-about-to-die-based-on-a-true-story/)\n17. [Rampant slaughter! Sexy armour! Tiger maulings! We bust the gladiator myths, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/film/article/2024/jul/23/gladiator-epic-myths-those-about-to-die-slaughter-colosseum)\n18. [\"Those About to Die\" bei Prime Video: Der große historische Fakten-Check, Serienjunkies](https://www.serienjunkies.de/news/redaktion/die-bei-prime-video-der-grosse-historische-fakten-check-those-about-to-93226593.html)\n19. ['Those About to Die' review: Bloody ancient Rome, again, Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2024-07-18/those-about-to-die-review-peacock)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Scripted television and comedy series › Drama and prestige series (individual series) › Historical and period drama*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/those-about-to-die", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/those-about-to-die.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"Those About to Die\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/those-about-to-die. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Those About to Die](https://www.edgepedia.org/those-about-to-die)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/those-about-to-die](https://www.edgepedia.org/those-about-to-die). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Those About to Die\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/those-about-to-die. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Those About to Die is a 2024 Peacock/Prime Video historical drama series, 10 episodes, set in 79 AD Rome under Vespasian." }