Cast & Contributors Announced for HISTORY’s Barbarians Rising

NEW YORK: Tom Hopper and Steven Waddington have been cast in HISTORY’s upcoming docudrama Barbarians Rising, which will also count on retired U.S. Army General Wesley Clark and Rev. Jesse Jackson as contributors.

The global eight-part series will showcase the story of the rise and fall of the Roman Empire from the perspective of nine barbarian rebel leaders. Hopper (Black Sails) is set to play German warrior Arminius, with Waddington (The Imitation Game) portraying the fighter Fritigern. The limited event series is slated to premiere in 2016 across 185-plus territories.

The cast also includes Nicholas Pinnock (Captain America: The First Avenger) as Hannibal, who vowed a blood oath at the age of 9 to destroy Rome; Ben Batt (The Edge of Love) as the slave-turned-rebel Spartacus; Kirsty Mitchell (The Royal Today) as Boudica, the avenging Celtic warrior Queen; Emil Hostina (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Parts I and II) as Attila, scourge of the east; Gavin Drea (What Richard Did) as Alaric, the king of the Goths; Richard Brake (Batman Begins) as Geiseric, the last barbarian standing; and Jefferson Hall (Vikings) as Viriathus, the shepherd-turned-rebel leader.

HISTORY and producer October Films also amassed a group of experts and contributors that includes General Clark; Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, one of the first female combat veterans in the U.S. Congress; Civil Rights leader Rev. Jackson; and Dr. Clarence B. Jones, speechwriter and advisor to Martin Luther King, Jr., among many others.

A+E Networks handles worldwide distribution for Barbarians Rising.