or


[05/11/10 - 01:39 PM]
Production on Starz' 'Spartacus' Six-Part Prequel to Begin This Summer
Production on the show's second season was postponed this spring to allow Andy Whitfield to be treated for Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma.

[via press release from Starz]

Production on Starz' 'Spartacus' Six-Part Prequel to Begin This Summer

Andy Whitfield to Appear In Two Episodes Along With Lucy Lawless, John Hannah, Peter Mensah Plus Other Returning and New Characters

LOS ANGELES, May 11 -- NCTA Cable Show 2010 -- Pre-production is underway on a six-part prequel to Starz' hit original series "Spartacus: Blood and Sand."

Andy Whitfield, who played the title character in the series, will appear in the prequel briefly, but Lucy Lawless and John Hannah take center stage in this story of the rise of the House of Batiatus and its champions before Spartacus arrives as a captured Thracian slave. With the title still to be determined, the prequel will begin production this summer in New Zealand, and is slated to air on Starz in January 2011.

John Hannah returns as Batiatus, owner of the Ludus, along with his wife Lucretia, played by Lucy Lawless. Other returning actors include Peter Mensah (Doctore), Manu Bennett (Crixus), Antonio Te Maioha (Barca), Nick E. Tarabay (Ashur), Lesley-Ann Brandt (Naevia) - and others. New characters will also be added - most notably the gladiator who was champion of the House of Batiatus before Spartacus or even Crixus - who will help fill in the story about the people and politics in the House of Batiatus and ancient Capua as a whole.

Production on the second season of "Spartacus: Blood and Sand" was postponed this spring to allow Andy Whitfield to be treated for Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma in New Zealand. His doctors indicate that the actor is responding well.

"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 CEO Chris Albrecht. "We look forward to continuing the Spartacus story."

Produced by Rob Tapert, Sam Raimi, Joshua Donen and Steven S. DeKnight, "Spartacus: Blood and Sand" was the highest rated show for the 18-49 demographic among all cable networks for 12 of the 13 Fridays on which it aired based on coverage rating.* The production team remains intact for the six-part prequel.

Starz Entertainment, LLC, is a premium movie service provider operating in the United States. It offers 16 movie channels including the flagship Starz(R) and Encore(R) brands with approximately 17.1 million and 31.1 million subscribers respectively. Starz Entertainment airs more than 1,000 movies per month across its pay TV channels and offers advanced services including Starz HD, Encore HD, Starz On Demand, Encore On Demand, MoviePlex On Demand, Starz HD On Demand, Encore HD On Demand, MoviePlex HD On Demand, and Starz Play. Starz Entertainment (www.starz.com) is an operating unit of Starz, LLC, which is a controlled subsidiary of Liberty Media Corporation, and is attributed to Liberty Starz(NASDAQ: LSTZA), a tracking stock group of Liberty Media Corporation.

*Source: Nielsen Live + SD Coverage Ratings for A18-49 each Friday between 1/29/10 - 4/16/10 among all basic and premium cable channels.





  [may 2010]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
      


· SPARTACUS (STARZ)





[03/17/23 - 11:36 PM]
Development Update: Friday, March 17
Updates include: Terry Crews to lead "Jump Start" at CBS; Wendi McLendon-Covey tapped for NBC's "St. Denis Medical"; and Kelly McCreary to exit ABC's "Grey's Anatomy."

[03/17/23 - 09:05 PM]
Nickelodeon Studios and Paramount+ Announce "Good Burger 2," An All-New Movie Sequel to the Iconic '90s Film
The movie will follow Dexter Reed (Kenan Thompson) and original cashier, Ed (Kel Mitchell), as they reunite in the present day at fast-food restaurant Good Burger with a hilarious new group of employees.

[03/17/23 - 01:14 PM]
discovery+ and ID Highlights - Weeks of March 27 and April 3
New episodes of "Evil Lives Here" will continue to drop concurrently on Sundays.

[03/17/23 - 11:30 AM]
Encores of CBS Dramas Will Air in Place of the Previously Scheduled "Lingo" on Wednesdays
"Lingo" was recently ordered for a second season and the remaining four original episodes will be scheduled for next season.

[03/17/23 - 11:01 AM]
Video: "Beef" - Sneak Peek Exclusive Clip: The Inciting Incident - Netflix
A road rage incident between two strangers - a failing contractor and an unfulfilled entrepreneur - sparks a feud that brings out their darkest impulses.

[03/17/23 - 10:03 AM]
All-New Season of "Growing Belushi" Premieres on Discovery Channel Wednesday, April 5 at 9PM ET/PT
For two seasons, Discovery's audiences have been on a wild ride with Jim Belushi as he combines his many artistic talents with an immense passion to build a cannabis business in Oregon.

[03/17/23 - 10:01 AM]
Peacock's Critically Acclaimed Drama "Bel-Air" Lands a Third Season Renewal
Following its launch on Peacock last year as the streamer's most-watched original premiere, "Bel-Air" is once again breaking records on the platform as Peacock's most-watched original sophomore series to date.

[03/17/23 - 09:05 AM]
"The Idaho College Murders" Premiered as ID's Highest-Rated Sunday Telecast in Over Two Years and Drove ID to Be the #1 Cable Network Among Key Demos on Sunday, March 12
Attracting 2.3 million viewers on Sunday night, the special averaged a .68 live plus three-day rating among P25-54 and a .84 live plus three-day rating among W25-54.

[03/17/23 - 09:02 AM]
Universal Pictures Thriller "Knock at the Cabin" Streams Exclusively on Peacock March 24
While vacationing at a remote cabin, a young girl and her parents are taken hostage by four armed strangers who demand that the family make an unthinkable choice to avert the apocalypse.

[03/17/23 - 07:00 AM]
CMT Reveals Star-Studded Programming Slate for Second-Annual "CMT Music Awards Week"
Highlights include two new installments of "CMT Storytellers" featuring Kane Brown and Dierks Bentley.

[03/16/23 - 11:22 PM]
Development Update: Thursday, March 16
Updates include: HBO Max's "The Penguin" casts quartet; "FBoy Island" nears revival by The CW; and OWN's "All Rise" releases cast members.

[03/16/23 - 05:01 PM]
Video: "Queenmaker" - Official Teaser - Netflix
After a crisis of conscience, a powerful fixer uses her skills to propel a civil rights lawyer's mayoral campaign - and take down her former employer.

[03/16/23 - 12:50 PM]
Fearless Military Chefs Take Their Skills to the "Chopped" Kitchen to Battle It Out in New Tournament "Chopped: Military Salute"
With precision, speed, and persistence, chefs from the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines will cook their hearts out in preliminary heats as they vie for the chance to compete in the final showdown.

[03/16/23 - 12:35 PM]
ABC News Studios Announces New Docu-Series Featuring Criminologist Who Develops Psychological Profiles of and Conducts On-Camera Interviews With Convicted Killers in Prison
"The Lesson Is Murder" begins streaming Thursday, March 23, only on Hulu.

[03/16/23 - 12:24 PM]
Killers' Conversations Unearthed and to Be Heard for the First Time Exclusively in the New Oxygen True Crime Series "Violent Minds: Killers on Tape"
Produced by Ample Entertainment and Motiv8 Media, "Violent Minds: Killers on Tape" premieres Sunday, April 2 at 7:00/6:00c.