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Who Will Be the New Spartacus?

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According to the latest reports, the search to fill Andy Whitfield’s sandals for Starz’ acclaimed Spartacus: Blood & Sand, has been whittled down to two potential candidates.

As you should remember, Whitfield was forced to bow out of the role after his cancer returned, leaving Starz and creator Steven S. DeKnight the unfortunate job of finding a new actor to take on the character for Season 2 and beyond. The search had previously led producers to screen test three relative unknowns: Stephen Amell, Aiden Turner, and Liam McIntyre. Starz was reportedly most impressed with McIntyre, dropping the other two candidates entirely. But while his acting skills got top scores, his skinny physique was not suited to the buffed-up character, who often wears little more than the gladiatorial equivalent of a Speedo. McIntyre is said to be engaging in an intense workout schedule to add bulk and muscle to his frame in the hopes that he may yet land the coveted part.

Today, word came down that a new twist has been added to the casting process. A twist named Dominic Purcell. Best known for his starring role on Fox’s Prison Break, the actor’s fans know that Purcell already has both the body type and the acting chops for such a grim, meaty part. He also has something that no other actor vying for the role has: name recognition. And Starz was impressed with his audition.

So now it appears to be a contest between these two actors — Liam McIntyre and Dominic Purcell. Starz is expected to make a casting decision shortly, since the second season is slated to go into production soon.

In related news (minor spoiler alert), Digital Spy reports that Lucy Lawless’ scheming Lucretia actually survived her sword-to-the-abdomen in the finale (though husband Batiatus, aka actor John Hannah, was not so lucky), and that she’s back as a full-time cast member for Season 2 with her wicked machinations amped up to new heights. This was an unexpected reprieve for Lawless, who was told repeatedly during Season 1’s filming that the plan was to definitely kill Lucretia at season’s end. DeKnight reportedly held onto this plan until just recently, when he figured out how Lucretia could be a part of Season 2.

Meanwhile, the prequel miniseries Spartacus: Gods of the Arena is set to debut on Starz later this month.

Review: ‘Spartacus Blood & Sand’ Season One Blu-ray

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The historic, real-life tale of Spartacus is not new to Hollywood. But neither history nor Hollywood have ever seen anything quite like Starz’ Spartacus: Blood & Sand. It is something wholly new, using bits of other well-known formulas in creative and clever new ways that adds up to something far greater than the sum of its parts. At times stubbornly beholden to history, and at others wildly veering from it, Spartacus nonetheless introduces us to the familiar slave who eventually rose to lead an incredible rebellion against the Roman Empire.

I was not able to watch the show when it first aired, so my experiences with the Blu-ray are reflective of back-to-back viewings over the course of several days (instead of the months that Starz fans had to wait for the story to unfold). I point this out because I believe it’s significant; the passage of time very much plays a part in how a TV series is received, particularly one with serialized storylines. Seen back-to-back in hours-long sittings, it’s entirely watchable and easy to connect the dots. But when stretched out over longer periods of time, the mind has greater expanses in which to digest and absorb a given week’s episode, and discuss it with friends. This sort of pondering and community interaction is entirely lost when watching the whole thing alone on a set of discs.

Spartacus: Blood & Sand casts Spartacus (a smoldering role that Andy Whitfield grows into every bit as much as his character) in his earliest days — even starting off before he became a slave at all — to show us a new side and new motivations for why he becomes the hero of the people. Spartacus is a married Thracian who wants to live in peace in the arms of his wife, Sura. But his world is altered when his people agree to a bargain with Roman soldiers to work together to defend both Rome and their own Thracian homes. When the Thracians are double-crossed by some very bad decision-making, Spartacus leads his men to slaughter their Roman masters so they can protect their own homes. But it isn’t long before more Romans come looking for Spartacus, and he’s soon carted off into slavery, where he eventually catches the eye of a cunning businessman and gladiator owner named Batiatus (John Hannah). Spartacus soon winds up as a member of Batiatus’ gladiator school — a harsh environment where he’s forced to fight against his will.

If some of this sounds familiar, it is. The description “Gladiator meets 300” has been tossed around many times, and for good reason. Spartacus uses major elements of both. Yet if you’re willing to stick with it, you will find that the show is so much more.

Some of the ingredients that go into making this intoxicating concoction? How about a perversion of the standard class-based society where life, sex, and everything in between are the exclusive play things of the rich and entitled. Batiatus’ ludus (gladiator school) is home to some of the most conniving, cutthroat characters you’ll ever meet, all of whom are interested in looking out for number one and not much else. The show strives to create a graphic novel-like feel, using color gradation and stylistic splashes of blood to convey the moods and mindsets of the characters. (This effect is used heavy-handedly in the early episodes, but wisely scaled back towards the end.) The characters speak in an almost Shakespearean dialect that has a beauty all its own. And then there’s the brilliant cast that also includes Lucy Lawless, Peter Mensah, Manu Bennett, Craig Parker (Haldir the Elf warrior from Lord of the Rings), and many more.

It’s ultimately the characters of Spartacus: Blood & Sand that make the show so worth watching, but by the end of this first season’s run, you’ll discover that it is, in fact, a plot-driven narrative, having been building up to a major turning point all along. The season tells a single, over-arcing storyline across 12 tightly-woven episodes filled with one twist after another, and while it starts on shaky ground, its quality grows stronger with each passing episode until it culminates in a shocking, cathartic finale that demands conversation. The final episode, “Kill Them All,” is absolutely as good as television ever gets, brilliantly conceived and confidently executed.

Although it is not Erati’s purpose to provide content guidelines for viewers, I feel I must offer a warning: this Spartacus is most decidedly not for everyone. I wouldn’t offer it to anyone under the age of 21, and even many adults simply will not be compatible with it. It’s profane in the extreme, using both familiar words such as the F-bomb (which gets extremely frequent screentime), as well as made-up curses that fit with the show’s formal dialect. The show also has nudity and sexual content that at times borders on pornographic, and at others jumps over that border and never looks back. In addition, the fights in the arena are often filled with gushing blood and severed appendages, which the show never shies away from showing in all their gory glory. A few memorable instances even showed CGI organs spilling out of the deep cuts inflicted in the arena.

The Season One Blu-ray offers all 12 episodes in crystal clear quality, with a gorgeous transfer and tremendous sound. There are extras a-plenty, including extended running times for several episodes, a number of episode commentaries from cast and crew, and the standard making-of documentaries that show how the series is made.

Spartacus: Blood & Sand has been the recipient of a lot of hype in the last few years, and after watching Season One in its entirety, I completely understand why. It’s one of the most original TV shows to come along in years, and it’s brilliantly done.

Happy News & Sad News for ‘Spartacus’ Fans

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So there’s finally been a decision about what Starz‘ production of Spartacus: Blood and Sand is going to do, since title star Andy Whitfield is unable to resume his role, due to the return of his Non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

The happy news: The show must go on! Spartacus will move forward with long-held plans for a second season and presumably, beyond.

The sad news: Unsurprisingly, since Whitfield can’t resume his role, the show will recast the part of Spartacus with a different actor. It’s an unfortunate reality of the business that as much as the show wanted to retain Whitfield’s services — and even delayed production on Season 2 by a year to wait for his recovery — if the show dissolves, so do a lot of people’s jobs.

That’s about all that’s currently known. There’s no word yet on who might be on the producers’ short list for taking over the role. Or when production might resume.

Production is underway right now on the prequel miniseries Spartacus: Gods of the Arena, which is expected to air early next year.

‘Spartacus’ Star Not Returning

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Andy Whitfield, who stars in Spartacus: Blood and Sand in the title role, has announced that he won’t be returning to the show — at least not for its second season. Whitfield was diagnosed with cancer in March of this year, after which he was treated and declared in remission. But now his doctors have reported that his cancer has returned, and ordered him to enter “aggressive treatment” for it.

While Whitfield was being treated this Spring, when the show was scheduled to be in production again, the producers came up with a creative plan to keep the show going — they filmed a prequel series called Spartacus: Gods of the Arena. Starz has not yet announced its plans for the second season of the popular show, though Gods of the Arena will air this coming January.

Spartacus gets a prequel

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In light of star Andy Whitfield‘s diagnosis of cancer, Spartacus: Blood and Sand has gone on an indefinite hiatus. But Starz hopes to continue the series’ popularity by launching a six-part prequel series.

Whitfield will make a cameo appearance in the prequel, but the storyline is said to center on the rise of the House of Batiatus, aka John Hannah’s Batiatus and his wife, Lucy Lawless’ Lucretia. Other characters are expected to return as well, but a new major character will be introduced as the gladiator who was champion of the House of Batiatus before Spartacus. No title has been settled on yet for the prequel, which is set to start production this summer in New Zealand.

Starz is hopeful that Whitfield will be able to return to the show sooner than later, reporting that the actor is responding well to his treatments for Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. Until his return, Starz plans to continue expanding what it calls “the Spartacus franchise” in creative ways.