Having played a Greek general in Alexander and one of the OG Gods in Thor, Sir Anthony Hopkins is suiting up again in order to command armies as a Roman Emperor in Roland Emmerich’s Peacock series Those About to Die.
According to Variety the two-time Academy Award winning actor will play Emperor Vespasian in the gladiatorial series, which is being written by Oscar-nominated Saving Private Ryan scribe Robert Rodat.
Handed a straight-to-series order in 2022, Those About to Die is set in the world of gladiatorial competition, and follows an ensemble of characters from all parts of Roman society who collide in the arena.
Hopkins, who won the Best Actor Oscar for his performance in The Father, is the only cast member attached to the project, and will portray Vespasian, a Roman emperor and rural upstart who claimed his throne after victory in a bloody ten-year civil war. The official synopsis describes the ageing warrior as a man “despised by the Patricians jockeying for position in the Empire and looking to supplant his heirs to the throne the first chance they get.”
Those About to Die is Independence Day director Roland Emmerich’s first foray into the world of television following a career of big-screen destruction. His last film was 2022 clunker Moonfall.
Let us know whether you’re looking forward to Those About to Die and seeing Hopkins on the small-screen once again following his brilliant turn in the now defunct Westworld by heading to our social channels @FlickeringMyth…
