Cornballer
Member
Spartacus: Gods of the Arena is a 6-part prequel to the Blood & Sand series which will premiere Friday, January 21st on Starz. The miniseries gives us a look at the life of young Batiatus and a number of characters we know including Lucretia, Oenomaus, Ashur, and Barca. While Spartacus B&S started off rough with a few clunky episodes, it quickly developed into one of the more entertaining shows on television during it's 13-episode S1. Here's hoping there's more in store from the prequel.
With Andy Whitfield battling non-Hodgkin lymphoma, the prequel was conceived by the producers as a way to get some new material on the air before shooting Season 2 of B&S. Unfortunately, Whitfield has since dropped from the production of B&S due to his condition, and they haven't cast a new Spartacus yet. All the best to Whitfield and here's hoping for a full recovery.
Plot Summary from Starz said:The House of Batiatus is on the rise, basking in the glow of its infamous champion Gannicus, whose skill with a sword is matched only by his thirst for wine and women. These are the times a young Batiatus has been waiting for. Poised to overthrow his father and take control, hell freely betray anyone to ensure his gladiators are in the highest demand. And hell 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.
Premiering, January 21 Spartacus: Gods of the Arena, the highly anticipated prequel to Spartacus: Blood and Sand, 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.
Links:
- Wikipedia
- Starz Website
- IMDB
- TV.com
Schedule
Code:
[b]Ep Title Date[/b]
1 "Past Transgressions" January 21, 2011
2 "Mission" January 28, 2011
3 "Paterfamilias" February 4, 2011
4 "Beneath the Mask" February 11, 2011
5 "Reckoning" February 18, 2011
6 "The Bitter End" February 25, 2011
Past Transgressions
Once young Batiatus finally gets the control of his father's gladiator school, he immediately begins to plot to make a profitable business out of his ludus. In order to succeed, he puts his most skilled fighter into good use to gain the favour of a rich and cunning nobleman who can help fund the building of a new arena.
Videos
- Trailer
- Gladiator Camp
- In Production
- Behind the Scenes
- The Weapons
- The Gladiators
- The Slaves
- The Women
A few notes:
- This is a six part mini-series
- Word on the internet is that this will be available for Instant Watch on Netflix when it airs on Starz, but I haven't seen any official confirmation yet.
- I haven't seen any recent updates on Andy Whitfield's condition, but please post something if you see any new information.