National Geographic has released the trailer and premiere date for "Pompeii: Out of Time with Tom Hiddleston," a new three-part docudrama debuting July 23 on Disney+ and Hulu. The series will first premiere on the National Geographic channel on July 22 at 9/8c.
The series reunites host and "Loki" star Tom Hiddleston with "Loki" executive producer Kevin R. Wright. The project is a blend of scripted drama and investigative documentary storytelling that transports audiences to ancient Rome in the hours leading up to and during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius.
The docudrama aims to completely flip the traditional narrative of the historic disaster.
"We all know the story of Pompeii. Right?" Hiddleston asks in the trailer. "The story of Pompeii is a story of death. Or is it? Let's try that again, shall we? What if there's another story to tell here? A story of survival."
With the help of experts and clues from the ruins, Hiddleston uncovers new evidence about Pompeii's final hours. The series reveals a surprising truth: many people actually had a chance to escape.
"I'm going to trace real people through this disaster," Hiddleston says in the trailer, noting that the series uses "evidence and imagination intermingled" to bring history to life. "There are two timelines, past and present. Pompeii actually took a day to be entombed in ash. A day. A chance. Every one of them left behind a story."
With a twist of his hand, Hiddleston steps back in time into scenes that recreate the eruption.
The series follows the lives of three real Romans caught in Vesuvius' path: a teenage apprentice, a businesswoman and a Praetorian Guard. Hiddleston pieces together how each person faced difficult choices in a race against time to see who survived and who died.
For Hiddleston, hosting the series fulfills a lifelong passion.
"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 said. "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."
Hiddleston added that revisiting the final hours of ordinary people caught in a moment is a genuine honor. "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," he said.
Executive producer Wright helps shape the show's cinematic vision, drawing from his work on Marvel's "Loki." By blending archaeological discoveries, analysis and personal storytelling, the series reframes Pompeii as a human drama of resilience, sacrifice and survival.
National Geographic executives say the approach has resulted in a completely fresh take on historical television.
"National Geographic has spent more than a century bringing the past to life through groundbreaking discoveries, exploration and world-class storytelling," Tom McDonald, executive vice president of content for National Geographic, said. "Working with Tom and Kevin, alongside the team at Plimsoll led by showrunner Tom Barbor-Might, has been a process of inventing an entirely new genre of history programming - one which brings evidence and imagination together in a way which feels distinctive."
The original series soundtrack, featuring a score by composer Aisling Brouwer, will be released through Hollywood Records on July 24, 2026.
Stream "Pompeii: Out of Time with Tom Hiddleston" July 23 on Disney+ and Hulu, or watch the July 22 premiere at 9/8c on National Geographic.
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