Director: Roland Emmerich
Blood, spectacle, and empire collide in "Those About to Die," Roland Emmerich's 2024 series set in the gladiatorial world of Ancient Rome.
What is Those About to Die about?
Rome runs on entertainment as much as conquest, and this series pulls back the curtain on the men who sell that spectacle to the masses. Across a sprawling ensemble, gladiators, gamblers, promoters, and power brokers scramble for survival and status inside the arena's economy. Emperor Vespasian's court sits at the center of a web where sport, politics, and business are impossible to separate, and every match in the ring carries consequences that ripple through the Roman elite. The series follows multiple threads at once: fighters risking their lives for a chance at freedom, officials manipulating outcomes for profit, and families caught between loyalty to Rome and the brutal machinery that keeps its crowds satisfied.
Cast & crew
Anthony Hopkins leads the cast as Emperor Vespasian, bringing gravity to Rome's highest seat of power. Tom Hughes, Sara Martins, Jojo Macari, Gabriella Pession, Dimitri Leonidas, Moe Hashim, and Iwan Rheon fill out the arena's competing factions, spanning gladiators, charioteers, and the officials who profit from them.
Context & significance
Director Roland Emmerich, known for large-scale spectacle, applies that same instinct for scale to Ancient Rome's entertainment industry rather than disaster set pieces. The series draws on Daniel P. Mannix's nonfiction account of Roman games, grounding its arena drama in the historical business of blood sport, from chariot racing syndicates to the political favors traded behind every fixed match.
Where & how to watch
"Those About to Die" is available on K-Time with Farsi dubbing and Farsi subtitles, so viewers can follow its layered political and arena storylines in Persian. Streaming requires only a free K-Time account with login, and the platform's interface is built around a Farsi-language viewing experience for the diaspora audience.