The play tells the history of the reign of Roman Emperor Vespasian (played by Anthony Hopkins), who became emperor after experiencing bloody turmoil.As Vespasian aged, he had to face both the scorn of Rome's upper aristocratic elite and their attempts to replace him.

The play is one of the Gladiator series historical dramas launched by Peacock, a streaming media platform owned by Comcast in the United States. The script is inspired by the historical book of the same name published by American writer and screenwriter Daniel P. Mannix in 1958.The play is co-directed by director Roland Emmerich, who has directed famous films such as Independence Day, and German director Marco Kreuzpain Turner, and written by Saving Private Ryan.Robert Rodat wrote the screenplay.