'Those About to Die': Anthony Hopkins narrates teaser for Peacock series

April 8 (UPI) -- Peacock is giving a glimpse of the new series Those About to Die.

The streaming service shared a teaser for the historical drama Sunday featuring Anthony Hopkins.

Those About to Die is based on the Daniel P. Mannix book of the same name, which also inspired the 2000 film Gladiator directed by Ridley Scott and starring Russell Crowe.

The show explores the corruption, politics and spectacle of gladiator competitions in ancient Rome and features "an ensemble of diverse characters across the many layers of Roman society where sports, politics, and business intersect and collide."

Hopkins plays Vespasian, the emperor of Rome from 69 to 79 A.D.

Iwan Rheon, Sara Martins, Tom Hughes, Jojo Macari, Moe Hashim, Johannes Haukur Johannesson, Rupert Penry-Jones, Gabriella Pession, Dimitri Leonidas, Emilio Sakraya and David Wurawa also star.

Those About to Die is developed and executive produced by Roland Emmerich, Harald Kloser and Gianni Nunnari. The series will premiere July 18 on Peacock.

Hopkins' most recent TV role was Dr. Robert Ford on the HBO series Westworld.