STARZ has announced that San Diego’s Comic-Con International, the largest comic book convention in the world, will host a special panel on July 24, 2009for Lucy Lawless’ new vehicle, “Spartacus: Blood and Sand” at this year’s Comic-Con.
“Spartacus: Blood and Sand,” which teams Lawless with Australian actor Andy Whitfield as Spartacus, gives a new spin on the ancient legend of Roman slaves who rebelled and nearly destroyed Rome. The series utilizes virtual environments, giving it a unique graphic novel look and style, along with a fresh narrative approach.
Debuting exclusively on Starz in January 2010, “Spartacus: Blood and Sand” was inspired by the legendary insurrection of 73 BC in Rome involving a captive named Spartacus who led a slave revolt that grew to more than 120,000 fighters. Defying Rome’s legions of soldiers, Spartacus and his crew campaigned for two years throughout much of what is now Italy before suffering defeat.
The series, billed as being rich in character, action, sex and combat, consists of 13 one-hour episodes, and is executive produced by Sam Raimi (“Spider-Man” and “Evil Dead”), Rob Tapert (“The Grudge”, “Xena: Warrior Princess” and “Hercules: The Legendary Journeys”) and Steven DeKnight (“Smallville,” “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”).
Comic-Con returns to the San Diego Convention Center July 23–26, 2009.