Starz’s popular cable series, “Spartacus,” returns in an awesomely entertaining prequel. The Spartacus franchise, part “Rome” and part “300,” began last year with “Blood and Sand,” the story of a slave turned gladiator. This year’s lusty blood-soaked six-hour prequel, “Gods of the Arena,” focuses not on Spartacus, but on the lives of the Romans and gladiators as they were prior to Spartacus’ arrival. This shift, though risky in that the title character isn’t featured, is effective since ‘Blood and Sand” left fans wanting to learn much more about all of the characters who died in the finale.
In “Gods of the Arena,” the House of Batiatus is on the rise, basking in the glow of its handsome Celtic champion Gannicus, whose skill with a sword is matched only by his thirst for drink and women. These are the times a young Batiatus has been waiting for. Poised to overthrow his father and take control, he’ll freely betray anyone to ensure his gladiators are in the highest demand. And he’ll have his loyal and calculating wife Lucretia by his side for every underhanded scheme, drawing on the brazen talents of her seductive friend Gaia when it counts. Together, they will stop at nothing to deceive the masses, seize power, and bleed Capua dry in this audacious prequel to “Spartacus: Blood and Sand.”
When does Spartacus return? Andy Whitfield, who portrayed Spartacus in “Blood and Sand” is now being treated for a recurrence of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and Starz announced this week, much to fans disappointment, that Andy has been replaced in the title role by Liam McIntyre. As such, Spartacus won’t resurface until season 2 officially starts, and when he does, he’ll have a new face.
“Spartacus: Gods of the Arena,” the highly anticipated prequel to “Spartacus: Blood and Sand,” premiered January 21, 2011 and tells the story of the original Champion of the House of Batiatus. Joining returning stars, John Hannah (The Mummy, Four Weddings and A Funeral) as Batiatus, Lucy Lawless (“Xena: Warrior Princess”) as Lucretia and Peter Mensah (300, The Incredible Hulk) as Oenomaus, will be additional cast members Dustin Clare (“Underbelly”) as Gannicus, Jaime Murray (“Hu$tle”) as Gaia and Marisa Ramirez (“General Hospital”) as Melitta.