Who Is Gianluca Bombardone? Those About To Die Episode 1's Dedication Explained

Summary Gianluca Bombardone was a beloved Italian producer and camera operator in the film community.

2.He tragically passed away at just 44 while filming a documentary in Sardinia.

His work on "Those About to Die" as a camera and steadicam operator was honored with a dedication.

At the end of Peacock's Those About to Die episode 1, there's a title card dedication to someone named Gianluca Bombardone, and the story behind it is sad. Those About to Die and its cast of characters follow multiple plot lines. One follows Tenax (Iwan Rheon), a master of the criminal underground and businessman bent on bettering his plebian lot in life. Another follows Cala (Sara Martins) and her children, a Nubian family who become enslaved as servants and gladiators. Still another follows the battle of Titus (Tom Hughes) and Domitian (Jojo Macari), two brothers vying for their father's throne.

Those stories all intertwine with smaller subplots, making for a complex tapestry woven across ancient Rome. With such a huge cast and so many moving pieces, it requires a stellar production crew to make it all happen. With so many sweeping shots and action-heavy sequences, the camera crew was especially vital to Those About to Die, which was released July 18. Sadly, one of those crew members passed away after shooting the historical epic.

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Gianluca Bombardone Was An Italian Producer & Camera Person

He Was Well-Known In The Italian Film Community

Gianluca Bombardone was well-known in the close-knit Italian film community as a producer, but especially as a camera operator. Despite his relatively young age, Bombardone had almost 100 credits to his name working on the camera and electrical department of multiple movies and TV shows, both for his native Italy and for American and British Hollywood productions. He had a special knack for period dramas and historical projects. Some of his better-known projects include the TV shows The Great, Medici, and Devils, and the recent Kevin Hart movie Lift.

He Worked On Those About To Die As A Camera & Steadicam Operator

Many In The Crew Had Worked With Gianluca Bombardone Before

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The dedication in Those About To Die is because, tragically, Gianluca Bombardone unexpectedly passed away in June at just age 44. According to Italian reports, Bombardone was filming a documentary in Sardinia in early June when he suffered a cardiac event while on set, feeling ill before collapsing. Despite doctors on set immediately setting to work resuscitating Bombardone, he never regained consciousness, passing away in front of his colleagues on June 8, 2024. He left behind a wife and two children. (via L'Unione Sarda)

Bombardone had worked on the set of Those About to Die as a camera and steadicam operator for an unknown number of episodes. Though he was a small part of a huge cast and crew, plenty of people on crew and cast alike had known and loved Bombardone. With the vast majority of the crew being Italian and the series being primarily shot at the Cinecittà Studios in Rome, it's likely that many of them had known Bombardone well, having worked with him before. As such, the dedication was a simple but sweet nod to a man who had impacted many working on Those About to Die, both before and while filming the show.

Source: L'Unione Sarda