Normally to be found smashing up the planet on a global scale for the likes of Moonfall, Independence Day and 2012, Roland Emmerich is looking to take conflict to a more human level for a new TV series. Streaming service Peacock has him directing episodes of a new Roman gladiatorial series Those About To Die.
Robert Rodat, no stranger to historical combat, will be writing the series and executive producing, while 300's Gianni Nunnari and regular Emmerich collaborator Harald Kloser are on board to produce. Rodat is taking inspiration from Daniel Mannix's eponymous nonfiction tome.
The series will focus on the spectacular, complex, and corrupt world of gladiatorial sports in Ancient Rome. The series introduces an ensemble of diverse characters across the many layers of Roman society where sports, politics, and business intersect and collide.
"The powerful Roman Empire has always fascinated me, especially its enormous games which entertained the masses through spectacle at the monumental Colosseum. At its heart, this is a sports epic led by strong and diverse characters who explore paths to glory, falls from grace and a need to belong to something greater than oneself," says Emmerich. "Sports in these ancient times were as thrilling and massive then as they are today, and I'm excited to bring this rich world of blood, sweat and tears to television."