Trailer for ‘Spartacus: Blood and Sand’

Coming to premium TV channel Starz is SPARTACUS: BLOOD AND SAND, a 300-style TV series update to the sword and sandal legend previously made famous by Stanley Kubrick’s 1960 classic, SPARTACUS, starring Kirk Douglas.

SPARTACUS: BLOOD AND SAND is an R-rated TV series from executive producers Rob Tapert, Sam Raimi (EVIL DEAD) and Joshua Donen (THE QUICK AND THE DEAD) that promises heavy doses of hard bodies engaged in gory bloodletting, sweaty sex and stylized action featuring the fight choreography of professionals like Allan Poppleton (THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: PRINCE CASPIAN).

The series is based on the life of Spartacus, a real-life slave and gladiator living in ancient Rome, who led a slave uprising against the Roman Republic in what became known as the Third Servile War. The series will apparently focus on fictional stories set before Spartacus led a marauding, 100,000-strong army of slaves against Rome’s reserve legions.

U.K./Australian actor Andy Whitfield portrays Spartacus, a soldier in the Roman Auxiliary who is taken prisoner. As punishment for defying a Roman Legate, Spartacus is sentenced to die in the gladiator arena but after surviving numerous fights, his sentence is commuted and he is sold as a slave to be trained as a gladiator.

Lucy Lawless (XENA: THE WARRIOR PRINCESS) is cast as Lucretia, who along with her husband Batiatus (John Hannah), own the slave Spartacus and the Ludus (a gladiator camp) where the former soldier learns the ways of the arena fighter. The couple has fallen on hard times financially and has bought Spartacus hoping his fighting prowess will help them regain their status in the brutal world of gladiatorial contests.

Additional cast members include Erin Cummings as Spartacus’ Thracian wife, Sura; Peter Mensah as Doctore, Batiatus’ most loyal and trusted slave; Manu Bennett as Crixus, the top gladiator at Batiatus’ Ludus; Antonio Te Maioha as Barca, Batiatus’ bodyguard and hit man; Craig Parker as Glaber, a Roman Legate, who blames Spartacus for his failed military campaign; and Nick E. Tarabay as Ashur, a former gladiator who is now the Ludus’ resident bookie.

Steven DeKnight (SMALLVILLE) is head writer for the series which is being produced in New Zealand by Starz Media.

SPARTACUS: BLOOD AND SAND is set to premiere on Starz in January of 2010. Anchor Bay will handle subsequent home video distribution while Starz Digital Media will distribute digitally, presumably through Netflix which is already partnered with Starz.