New Ancient Rome Show That's Now Streaming Is Perfect To Watch While Waiting For Gladiator 2

Summary Those About to Die on Peacock explores the shady business of gladiators in Ancient Rome, setting the stage for Gladiator 2's action.

The gladiator industry is the focus, showing the political corruption that made violence entertainment in Roman society.

While Gladiator 2 promises more spectacle and star power, Those About to Die provides a small-screen substitute with similar themes in the meantime.

A new streaming series set in Ancient Rome, Those About to Die, is the perfect show to watch during the interminable wait for Gladiator 2 to be released in theaters. Those About to Die, which just dropped all 10 of its episodes on Peacock in the U.S. and Amazon Prime internationally, similarly takes place in the swords-and-sandals world of gladiators who fight to the death to entertain the public. Robert Rodat, the Oscar-nominated screenwriter behind Saving Private Ryan, adapted the epic historical drama series from the book of the same name by Daniel P. Mannix.

There’s some serious A-list talent involved behind the scenes of Those About to Die. The first three and final two episodes were directed by Roland Emmerich, the master of disaster who helmed such blockbusters as Independence Day, The Day After Tomorrow, and 2012. The other five episodes were directed by Marco Kreuzpaintner, who worked on Netflix’s Bodies. The cast is led by screen legend Anthony Hopkins as Emperor Vespasian and features Game of Thrones’ Iwan Rheon as Tenax. Those About to Die is the perfect show to watch while waiting for Gladiator 2 to come out.

Those About To Die Explained: What Peacock's New Ancient Rome Show Is

It's all about the gladiator industry

Image via Peacock

Peacock’s new Ancient Roman drama Those About to Die takes place in the gladiator industry. Whereas Gladiator follows the gladiatorial business from the perspective of a slave forced to fight for sport, Those About to Die tells its story from the point of view of an emperor, Vespasian, played by Hopkins. Vespasian entertains his constituents by sending people into a public arena to fight to the death. Gladiators were very much the rock stars of their day, and Those About to Die tells their story from the perspective of the managers and venue owners.

While Gladiator is all about the action-packed spectacle of bloodsport, Those About to Die digs into the business side. Gladiator matches kept the public satisfied and entertained, which allowed the emperors to keep ruling Rome with an iron fist without much resistance. Those About to Die explores all the shady backroom dealings that allowed gladiators to become popular. It was Rome’s favorite pastime to watch gladiators fighting to the death, and Those About to Die has plenty of fun with the dramatic potential inherent to that barbaric practice.

Why Those About To Die Is A Perfect Watch Before Gladiator 2

They both deal with the same themes and subject matter

Image via Paramount Pictures

Ridley Scott’s return to Ancient Rome is promising all kinds of action-packed spectacle. The Gladiator 2 trailer features gladiators fighting a bunch of different wildlife in the coliseum. It can be easy to get impatient while waiting for the movie to finally arrive, especially since it’s been in development since way back in 2001. But anyone looking forward to the gladiatorial combat of Scott’s big-screen sequel should look no further than Those About to Die for a small-screen substitute.

Both Those About to Die and Gladiator 2 deal with the same themes and subject matter. Not only are they about gladiators who engage in death matches in the coliseum; they also explore the political corruption and brutal societal norms that allowed such a violent sport to become so popular. They both deal with Roman emperors being an early template for the modern-day dictator. Those About to Die has Hopkins’ Emperor Vespasian and Gladiator 2 has Joseph Quinn’s Emperor Geta and Fred Hechinger’s Emperor Caracalla.

Gladiator 2 is set to be released in the U.S. on November 22, 2024.

Gladiator 2 Should Be Even Better Than Those About To Die

Gladiator 2 has even more spectacle and even more A-list talent

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While Those About to Die is certainly an exciting series that delivers all the bloodshed it promises, it hasn’t exactly been universally acclaimed by critics. Those About to Die has a “rotten” critics’ score of 53% on Rotten Tomatoes. This isn’t a terrible score – it’s on the higher end of the “rotten” spectrum – but it’s not a great score, either. Based on its much-hyped trailer, all the buzz around the film, and the intriguing story setup, Gladiator 2 looks like it’ll be even better than Those About to Die.

Gladiator 2 has a lot more going for it than Those About to Die. It promises more spectacle, with its blockbuster budget funding set-pieces like a fight with a rhino and a naval battle over shark-infested waters (and that’s just what was shown in the trailer). It also has more star power: Those About to Die might have Anthony Hopkins, but Gladiator 2 has Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, and Paul Mescal. Gladiator 2 is promising a lot more action, a more star-studded cast, and an even bigger scale than Those About to Die.