Tom Hiddleston Teams With 'Loki' Producer for National Geographic's Pompeii Docudrama

Tom Hiddleston is trading the Marvel universe for ancient history with an ambitious new National Geographic venture.

The actor is collaborating with Kevin R. Wright, an executive producer on Loki, for Pompeii: Out of Time with Tom Hiddleston. The three-part docudrama blends documentary elements with scripted sequences and arrives on Disney+ and Hulu on July 23. National Geographic has unveiled the series' first trailer.

The production combines investigative storytelling with dramatic reenactments as Hiddleston delves into the catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in A.D. 79. Working alongside archaeologists, historians, geologists, and disaster specialists, the series presents fresh evidence that upends long-held beliefs about the disaster, including research suggesting numerous residents may have had opportunities to flee.

The Night Manager star traces the experiences of various actual Romans whose lives were transformed by the cataclysm.

"The ancient world has compelled my imagination and curiosity for as long as I can remember: I've been fascinated by it all my life," Hiddleston shared in a statement.

"Classical Antiquity is the foundation and cornerstone of Western and European culture. To visit Pompeii is to feel the distance of the 2,000 years between now and then compress. The past becomes the present; the past feels so close. Tangible, honest and real. Our relationship with the past is alive — studying who we were in order to understand who we are. Pompeii is a gateway for that conversation. It's a privilege to host this visually immersive and dynamic series."

He continued, "Pompeii is often remembered for how its story ended. But by looking closer, we can uncover the details of people's lives, the choices they made, and the moments that came before the city was buried. To revisit the final hours of those ordinary people, caught in an extraordinary moment, and to help bring these remarkable human stories back into the light, is a genuine honor."

The series launches July 23 on Disney+ and Hulu.