“Game of Thrones” star heads to Anthony Hopkins’ Roman Empire in “Those About to Die ”trailer

Iwan Rheon stars as a conniving gamemaster, while Hopkins portrays Emperor Vespasian in the new Peacock series.

Let the games begin.

Peacock has released the first trailer for its upcoming Roman Empire series Those About to Die. Directed in part by Roland Emmerich (Independence Day, The Patriot, 2012) and developed by Saving Private Ryan screenwriter Robert Rodat, the show explores the seedy underworld of ancient Rome’s sporting industry, following the ambitious athletes, conniving politicians, and brutal gamemasters who weaponize chariot racing and deadly gladiatorial combat for personal gain.

Anthony Hopkins and Game of Thrones’ Iwan Rheon headline the massive ensemble.

The trailer begins with narration from Rheon’s Tenax, a clever administrator who oversees the city’s gambling operation.

“Life is of little value in Rome, living in the shadow of the rich and powerful,” he says. “But all of this is about to change.” The trailer shows flashes of executions, riots, and intense chariot racing and gladiator battle.

“Soon I shall cross to the kingdom of darkness, but nothing is more important than protecting our beloved Rome,” Hopkins’ Emperor Vespasian tells his sons Titus (Tom Hughes) and Domitian (Jojo Macari). “Our enemies in Rome are dangerous.”

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A desperate Numidian woman named Cala (Sara Martins) explains, “My children have been taken from me. I will find a way.” We witness her son Kwame (Moe Hashim) dragged away by centurions to become a gladiator as her daughters Aura (Kyshan Wilson) and Jula (Alicia Edogamhe) are sold into slavery. “My son, show them you can fight, then we will see each other again,” Cala says.

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Later, Tenax explains his plans for Roman entertainment: “I will be master of these games. I know what they crave, and I can devise entertainment that will feed that craving.”

Kwame fights multiple massive gladiators, and crocodiles jump up from the water in a flooded arena.

“Twenty years ago, I scavenged: one beating taken, one beating given, one ugly errand at a time,” Tenax says. “Anything can happen. Even plebeians like us might rule this city.”

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Domitian tersely lays out the stakes of the show: “Kill or be killed.” There are flashes of an intimate scene between two women, a massive structure in flames, Kwame getting kicked in the head in the arena, a funeral pyre, and, finally, a combatant battling a massive lion.

All 10 episodes of Those About to Die premiere Thursday, July 18, on Peacock. Watch the full trailer above.

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