Anthony Hopkins Joins the Cast of Peacock’s Drama Those About To Die, Based on the Book That Inspired Gladiator
Sir Anthony Hopkins has joined the cast of Peacock’s upcoming series, Those About To Die, based on the book that inspired the 2000 film Gladiator.
The 84-year-old Welsh actor will play Emperor Vespasian in the epic period drama by German director Roland Emmerich, 67, according to an article published Wednesday by Deadline.
The series was inspired by Daniel P. Mannix’s 1958 book Those About to Die, which was also the inspiration for the film Gladiator starring 58-year-old Russell Crowe as Maximus.
Gladiator Series: Sir Anthony Hopkins, introduced last March in Los Angeles, has joined the cast of Peacock’s upcoming series, Those About To Die, based on the book that inspired the 2000 film Gladiator.
Vespasian was a Roman emperor who reigned from AD 69 to 79. C. and during his government the Flavian Amphitheatre, better known today as the Roman Coliseum, was built.
Those about to die will be set in the ‘complex and corrupt’ world of gladiatorial competition and will follow an assemblage of characters from all layers of Roman society.
An official synopsis described the aged Vespasian as “despised by patricians who vie for a position in the Empire and seek to supplant their heirs to the throne at the first opportunity they get”.
Emmerich, in addition to directing, will also executive produce the series along with writer Robert Rodat.
Popular Movie: Russell Crowe is shown in a still from the 2000 movie Gladiator which was also inspired by the book Those About to Die.
German Director: Roland Emmerich, Screening November 2019, Will Direct Peacock Series
Hopkins won an Oscar in 2021 for his performance in The Father and also won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his work in the 1991 film Silence Of The Lambs.
Emmerich directed, co-wrote and co-produced the 2022 sci-fi disaster film Moonfall which was a box office bomb after grossing just $67 million worldwide.
The film starring Halle Berry and Patrick Wilson was released in February 2022 and was panned by critics.
Oscar Winner: Hopkins is shown as Dr. Hannibal Lecter in a still from the 1991 film The Silence of the Lambs
Hopkins began his acting career in the 1960s and made his film debut in the 1967 British short drama The White Bus.
He was knighted in 1993 by the late Queen Elizabeth II for his services to the theater.
Hopkins recently played Odin in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and starred in the HBO series Westworld.
Sci-fi disaster: Emmerich directed, co-wrote and co-produced the 2022 sci-fi disaster film Moonfall, which was a box office bomb after grossing just $67 million worldwide and is shown with the film’s stars Patrick Wilson and Halle Berry in January 2022 in Hollywood
Prolific actor: Hopkins most recently starred in the HBO series Westworld and is shown in a 2018 still image