Summary
Roland Emmerich’s television directional debut,Those About to Die, will be available to stream on Peacock beginning Thursday, July 18. The series is an epic drama set in ancient Rome and zeroes in on the financial motivation behind some of history’s most brutal competitions. Anthony Hopkins,Game of Thrones starIwan Rheon, Sara Martins, Tom Hughes, Jojo Macari, Moe Hashim, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, Rupert Penry-Jones, Gabriella Pession, Dimitri Leonidas, and Emilio Sakraya are all included in the ensemble cast.
Emmerich is most well-known for blockbuster filmssuch asIndependence DayandThe Patriot, but he is excited that his first TV project surrounds a topic of personal interest. While Mannix’s non-fiction book delves into the political and social aspects of gladiatorial contests, the money invested in Rome’s violent form of entertainment remains the director’s biggest takeaway. Emmerich was always fascinated by the time period, but working on the show allowed him to examine the effect the Roman Empire had on present-day sports.
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Screen Rantchats with Roland Emmerich abouthis new Peacock series, the surprising finances of the games, and the creative process behindThose About to Die’sopening credits.
Emmerich Was Shocked By The Fortune Spent On Roman Sports
Screen Rant: You’re definitely no stranger to feature directing, but what was it like to have this epic historical drama about Rome be your television directorial debut?
Roland Emmerich: I was always interested in the Roman Empire, and then I read Those About to Die, which was more about games and the politics behind it and the social situation. But there was always this one thing that really got me. They spent a third of the money they had on sports. Can you imagine that? The Roman Empire spent a third of their money on sports.
That ties into the next question I had. Did working on this change how you look at the sports industry as a whole?
Roland Emmerich: Oh, yes, absolutely. Maybe five or seven percent of our money goes into sports, which includes, naturally, TV rights, etc, and it’s no comparison. But, slowly, there’s some stuff coming back. Just kind of brutal fighting, where everybody’s bloody at the end, and you have to feel it. “Oh, my God. This is very, very Roman.”
Emmerich Would Like To Expand On Circus Maximus In A Potential Season 2
Mannix’s book is non-fiction, but the show is not. How much of this series is based in fact, and where did you feel it was most important to take creative liberty?
Roland Emmerich: The whole time of Vespasian and his two sons was a very interesting one. Vespasian built the Colosseum, which is great, because the patricians more or less owned Circus Maximus. So it was this kind of competition thing, which is in the second season, if there’s one, as the main subject. It was interesting to delve into and sink your teeth into these characters, who risked their lives.
I have to ask you about the opening credits. Can you give some insight into why the team chose those specific visuals?
Roland Emmerich: It was a long discussion, but then I said, “I can only see something very simple.” That’s always what I said. All of a sudden, these Italian guys said, “I think we found it,” and it was these marble busts, and everything was marble. And then it becomes, at the end, the lion head. It was interesting, and naturally, then I said, “Well, you have to put something to it,” and this was like blood. Just like blood. A river of blood.
About Those About To Die
THOSE ABOUT TO DIE is an epic drama set in the corrupt world of the spectacle-driven gladiatorial competition, exploring a side of ancient Rome never before told — the dirty business of entertaining the masses, giving the mob what they want most…blood and sport. The series introduces an ensemble of characters from all corners of the Roman Empire who collide at the explosive intersection of sports, politics, and dynasties.
Check out our other interviews with the cast ofThose About to Die:
All 10 episodes ofThose About to Diepremiere Thursday, July 18on Peacock.
Source:Screen Rant Plus
Those About To Die
Set in the year 79 AD in Rome, “Those About to Die” dives into the brutal and complex world of gladiatorial combat. The series explores the dark underbelly of Roman entertainment, where the promise of free food and blood-soaked spectacles keep the restless population in check. The narrative focuses on various characters from all corners of the Roman Empire, whose lives intersect in the grand arena.
