'Spartacus' to end next season on Starz

The flesh to loincloth ratio (not to mention the sex to violence ratio) is about to diminish significantly on Starz: The historical period drama "Spartacus" will come to an end next season.

The series that helped put the premium cable channel on people's radar will see the last of its fictional battles unfold in its third season, “Spartacus: War of the Damned." 

“The fans have been tremendously supportive of our show,” says creator and executive producer Steven S. DeKnight.  “We did not come to this decision lightly.  It was an extremely difficult and emotional decision for my partners and I.  Yet, in the end, the story was best served by rolling all of the remaining action and drama of Spartacus' journey into one stunningly epic season that will be extremely satisfying for everyone who's been along for the ride."

Its most recent season, "Spartacus Vengeance," averaged more than 6 million viewers each week, according to the network. The series, which airs in 150 countries in more than 15 languages, has had to face its own set of battles since its debut two years ago. Its star Andy Whitfield was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma after the first season, putting a second season on pause. Instead, a prequel, "Spartacus: Gods of the Arena," aired sans Whitfield. The role of the Roman gladiator eventually was turned over to Liam McIntyre for the show's second season, following Whitfield's death last year.

“Spartacus: War of the Damned” is currently in production in New Zealand. The 10-episode season is scheduled to air in January.

RELATED:

Liam McIntyre has big sandals to fill on 'Spartacus: Vengeance'

Liam McIntyre steps into the arena as ‘Spartacus’

'Spartacus' star Andy Whitfield dies

 --Yvonne Villarreal

twitter.com/villarrealy

Photo: Liam McIntyre as Spartacus. Credit: Starz.

Starz renews 'Spartacus' for a third season

Gladiators sure have cast a spell on Starz: The network has renewed the period drama "Spartacus" for a third season.

The news comes weeks before the Jan. 27 premiere of the second season. But, then again, the network seems to have a lot of faith in their series -- it renewed the Kelsey Grammer drama "Boss" before its debut season launched.

"Spartacus" executive producer Steven S. DeKnight said in a statement: “The executives at Starz have been extremely supportive in giving us creative freedom and allowing us to tell the story in a rich, yet bold way that leaves an indelible mark on its fans.”

The most recent chapter of “Spartacus” was the prequel, “Gods of the Arena,” which ran in January 2011. The next installment "Spartacus: Vengeance" will begin in the coming year with Liam McIntyre assuming the title role of the gladiator warrior.

Production on the as-yet-untitled third season of "Spartacus" is expected to begin in New Zealand in early 2012.  

RELATED:

'Spartacus' star Andy Whitfield has died

'Spartacus: Vengeance' premiere date revealed

Comic-Con 2011: ‘Spartacus’ gets a face lift with new season

-- Yvonne Villarreal

twitter.com/villarrealy

Photo: Liam McIntyre takes on the role of Spartacus. Credit: Starz

Liam McIntyre steps into the arena as ‘Spartacus’ [Updated]

Actor Liam McIntyre is strapping on the loin cloth: He'll assume the starring role in the hit Starz series "Spartacus: Blood and Sand."

McIntyre, 28, is taking over the role from Andy Whitfield, who has left the series as he battles cancer. McIntyre is Australian and largely unknown to U.S. audiences, although he did have a role in HBO's "The Pacific."

[Updated at 1:25 p.m.: "Since no one can really replace Andy, we realized that we should instead find an actor who can truly lead 'Spartacus' forward," Chris Albrecht, Starz president and CEO, said in the casting announcement. "It was important to us to have Andy endorse the idea of recasting this part, which he did in the same heroic manner that he’s dealt with his whole ordeal. And that, coupled with our fortune in finding a young actor with the gladiator credentials and the acting ability of Liam, makes it easier for us to keep this hit franchise going."

The announcement said that McIntyre is currently in New Zealand, getting himself into gladiator shape. Production is slated to resume in the spring.]

McIntyre will have his work cut out for him. Whitfield gained fame playing the chiseled warrior at the center of the highly stylized swords-and-sandals drama. Although the show made headlines for its over-the-top blood, gore and explicit sex, Whitfield's compassionate portrayal also struck a chord with viewers and helped make the show a hit for the pay channel.

But then tragedy struck: Writing for Season 2 was underway when Whitfield, 36, was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Initially, writers conjured up a six-series concept for a prequel to give Whitfield time to undergo treatment and recover before returning to the role. That prequel, "Spartacus: Gods of the Arena," debuts Friday with Lucy Lawless, John Hannah and Peter Mensah reprising their roles. But Whitfield's cancer returned. He has since formally bowed out of the role and urged everyone to continue without him.

"Spartacus: Blood and Sand" is a retelling of the 1960 movie starring Kirk Douglas. "Spartacus: Blood and Sand" begins with Whitfield's character, a Thracian warrior, captured and enslaved by the Romans. His captors force him into the arena to fight, promising him he will be reunited with his wife if he wins. And he does, slaying every opponent placed before him. But when he's betrayed by his captors, he leads a bloody slave revolt. And boy, is it ever bloody.

The series, which earned the highest ratings of any Starz original series, helped the channel reposition itself within the cable universe and spurred the creation of new original series.

-- Rene Lynch
twitter / renelynch

Photo: Liam McIntyre. Credit: Starz

TCA Press Tour 2011: Starz continues plans for Season 2 of 'Spartacus' without lead Andy Whitfield

Starz is going ahead with plans for a second season of "Sparactus: Blood and Sand,” with the search continuing for an actor to take over from Andy Whitfield as series lead.

Whitfield's departure and its effect on the show was discussed during the network’s panel at the TV press tour, with network president Chris Albrecht saying the series would pick up where it left off.

“We don’t have casting news,” he said. “We’re very confident where we are in the casting process of finding a lead actor to step into Spartacus’ sandals, though we will never be able to truly replace Andy Whitfield.”

Whitfield was diagnosed last year with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, which delayed production of the second season that was originally scheduled to air the fall of 2011. To fill the gap as casting directors searched for a replacement, Starz greenlit the prequel “Spartacus: Gods of the Arena,” set to premiere Jan. 21.

Writer and executive producer Steven S. DeKnight said Whitfield’s exit won’t hinder the story. “Season 2 is continuing with the story we were planning on telling about Spartacus,” he said.

Executive producer Rob Tapert added: “Nothing good came from losing Andy in terms of the guy for that role. If there’s any upside to Andy’s illness it's that we are better prepared to support the new Sparatcus when he comes into the role … [It’ll be ] a very epic Season 2.” 

In addition, the Starz session included a panel on its 10-episode "Torchwood" reboot, which sees the return of John Barrowman as alien-fighting Captain Jack and Eve Myles as former cop Gwen, with two new characters, CIA agents Rex (Mekhi Phifer) and Esther (Alexa Havins).

A premiere date for "Torchwood" has not been set.  The network's hourlong drama about King Arthur's court, "Camelot," will premiere in April. 

-- Yvonne Villarreal

twitter.com/villarrealy

Photo: Dustin Clare, center, is Gannicus in the Starz prequel "Spartacus: Gods of the Arena." Credit: Starz

TCA Press Tour: 'Spartacus': 'Gods of the Arena' or gods of TV?

Though only a week into production, “Spartacus: Gods of the Arena,” is shaping up to be just as much of a guilty pleasure as its predecessor.

“I gotta tell you, its pretty fantastic,” Steven S. DeKnight, creator and executive producer of the highly anticipated prequel to “Spartacus: Blood and Sand,” set to premiere in January on Starz.

The prequel follows Gannicus (Dustin Clare), the first gladiator to become Champion of Capua. 

In the series, which takes place before Spartacus joins the ludus (gladiator training school), there will be a few familiar faces, as Lucy Lawless (Lucretia), John Hannah (Batiatus), Peter Mensah (Oenomaus) and Manu Bennett (Crixus) have all reprised their roles.

DeKnight provided a major spoiler alert during the press tour when he confirmed Lawless would indeed be back for Season Two of the original series, after it was assumed -- with great measure -- that her character was murdered in Season One.

Andy Whitfield (Spartacus) will also appear briefly in the prequel and rejoin the show in Season Two, which is set to begin shooting later this year. 

Production on the second season of the hit show had to be halted while the star battled non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Though not ideal by any means, it gave DeKnight the opportunity to transform a Season Two flashback episode he had in the works into the six-part series. 

“It was just a one-episode thing. Once we found out what was going on with Andy we thought, ‘Let’s blow this out,’” DeKnight said. “It was an unfortunate circumstance ... [but] he looks fantastic. He’s in great spirits. He looks better than I have in my entire life.”

As for the seemingly overnight success of “Spartacus: Blood and Sand” -- it was the highest rated show for the 18-to-49 demographic among all cable networks for 12 of the 13 Fridays, maybe thanks in part to the gory battle scenes and no-holds-barred sex -- DeKnight is still getting used to it himself.

"It's been phenomenal and shocking. You're never prepared for extreme success or extreme failure," he said.  

Gerrick D. Kennedy

Photo: Lucy Lawless returns as Lucretia in "Spartacus: Gods of the Arena." Credit: Starz

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Starz greenlights 'Spartacus' prequel‎

Don't put away the swords just yet.

Starz has ordered a six-part prequel to its original series “Spartacus: Blood and Sand," the network announced Tuesday.

Andy Whitfield, who starred as the title character in the original series, will resume his role briefly in the prequel; the actor has been battling non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. But this time around, social climbers Lucretia (Lucy Lawless) and Batiatus (John Hannah) get the Roman treatment in the story about the rise of the House of Batiatus and its gladiators before the arrival of Spartacus as a slave.

“The prequel story maintains the excitement and entertainment value of the first season of ‘Spartacus,’ giving audiences the engaging experience they’ve come to expect,” said Starz President and Chief Executive Chris Albrecht in a statement. “Fortunately, Andy is responding to his treatments, and will be able to be part of this prequel in a limited capacity. As soon as he’s able, we look forward to continuing the Spartacus story.”

Other returning actors include Peter Mensah (Doctore), Manu Bennett (Crixus), Antonio Te Maioho (Barca), Nick E. Tarabay (Ashur), Lesley-Ann Brandt (Naevia), among others. New characters join the mix, including the gladiator who preceded Spartacus and Crixus at the House of Batiatus.

Production for the untitled prequel will begin this summer in New Zealand and is scheduled to air in January.

A second season of "Spartacus: Blood and Sand," which was on hold due to Whitfield's illness, is expected to continue where it left off after the airing of the prequel. 

-- Yvonne Villarreal

Photo: Lucy Lawless and John Hannah as Lucretia and Batiatus, respectively. Credit: Starz

'Spartacus': Viva Bianca has been a very, very bad girl

"Spartacus: Blood and Sand" is, by the title of it, about the lives of gladiator slaves. But it's the women who wield the sword in this sexy, ultra-gory breakout hit for Starz. The season finale is Friday night. And yes, there will be blood. How do we know that? We won't give anything away, but the title of the episode is "Kill Them All."

Wednesday, we spoke to Lucy Lawless, who stars as the society-climbing and scheming Lucretia. Now we chat with Viva Bianca, who plays Ilithyia. The way Ilithyia see it, her husband has been betrayed by Spartacus (in truth, her husband did the betraying), and she wants Spartacus dead. She plots every which way to hurt him -- including trying to have him killed in a most violent fashion -- but along the way reveals a side that audiences will find startling in a female character. Ilithyia's girlish, silly, princess facade gives way to a perverted lust for the violence of the gladiator's arena -- and the slaves who do the dirty work.

In short, it all turns her on in a way that will have you reaching for the rewind button because it's so subtly disturbing. Other times, it's out in the open: At one point, she wheedles her way into a grand opportunity -- she gets to decide which freshly purchased slave to take on as her own personal gladiator. So she has all the slaves drop their loin cloths. And -- how do we say this delicately? -- she chooses the most impressive one and promptly puts him to work.

ShowTracker: Whoa! Have we ever seen a role like this for a woman?

Viva Bianca: I auditioned in Australia, and early on, I knew only bits and pieces about the show. I was drawn to the character immediately, even with just a few scenes to read. There seemed to be something abundant about this playful, frivolous young woman.

ST: That's in the early episodes. Then we find out that there is this whole other side. Ilithya is not just lusty, she's turned on by the violence and holding the fate of these big, strapping men in her pretty little hand.

'Spartacus': Lucy Lawless on gore, Roman sex and airbrushing

"Spartacus: Blood and Sand" has been a breakout hit for Starz, giving the premium cable channel newfound cachet. Audiences have been drawn in by the hyperstylized violence reminiscent of "300" and buckets of gore as "Spartacus" tells the story of a rebel slave who is forced into servitude as a gladiator-in-training to the society-climbing Lucretia, played by Lucy Lawless, and her husband, Batiatus, played by John Hannah.

How violent is violent, you wonder? In one scene, a fighter in a death match slices off his opponent's face -- and then dons the skinned visage for bloodthirsty audiences who cheered him on. If viewers came for the gore, they no doubt stayed for the borderline soft-core porn and the jaw-dropping sexual habits of the Roman elite.

Slaves, in Spartacus' time, exist merely to serve their masters -- whether it is in the coliseum fighting to the death, or the bedroom. In one scene, Lucy Lawless is lounging on a bed, conversing matter-of-factly with her husband -- as he has furious sex with a servant. When he is finished, he bids the slave farewell with a slap to the rump. In another scene, Lawless' Domina and her husband are readied for sex with each other: One slave reaches beneath Lawless' gown while another helps her husband in a far more graphic manner.

Spartacus is, by the title of it, about the lives of gladiator slaves. But it is the women who wield the sword as the sword-and-sandal saga turns on their backbiting and backstabbing -- and dark sexual desires. Show Tracker has a double treat this week. Today, we talk to Lawless about her role in advance of Friday night's season finale. Thursday, we'll have a chat with Viva Bianca, who plays Spartacus' nemesis, llithyia.

First off, how is Andy Whitfield? (He was recently diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma.)

Very well, he's feeling much better. He was relieved to get a diagnosis and is now on a path to recovery.

What is drawing audiences to this show?

It's a really rewarding show, rich with intrigue. There's blood and sex and and everything that is very base and basic, everything that is very carnal is on full display here. You can't help but be pulled in.

What attracted you to the role of the scheming Lucretia?

Sex has a leading role in 'Spartacus: Blood and Sand'

"Spartacus: Blood and Sand," the new Starz drama about the Roman Republic's most fiery rebel, is already raising some eyebrows among TV insiders who say there's a lot of sex alongside the blood and sand.

In fact, some television writers are saying the series -- which stars Andy Whitfield, Lucy Lawless and John Hannah and  features plenty of action and bloody battles -- also has some of the steamiest sex scenes ever in a television series.

The distinction seems to delight Steven S. DeKnight, the head writer and one of the show's executive producers. "Sex and violence!" he quipped.

But DeKnight said the scenes are not pornographic and are always character-motivated. "There's always something these characters want, like power. Every sex scene has a purpose."

Lawless added that the scenes are very well planned out, and there was no "skin on skin" during filming. "What you think you're seeing, you're not," she said.

-- Greg Braxton

Photo: Lucy Lawless as Lucretia in "Spartacus: Blood and Sand." Credit: MCT