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)




[04/18/18 - 06:01 PM]
National Geographic Announces Mary Shelley, Creator of Frankenstein's Monster, As the Subject for Third Season of Critically Acclaimed Scripted Anthology Series "Genius"
A brilliant thinker, radical intellectual and proto-feminist, Mary Shelley (1797-1851) brought to life one of the most enduring stories of the modern age while still a teenager.
[04/18/18 - 05:16 PM]
"Brockmire" Recognized by The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum... Really
The iconic plaid sport coat and microphone from the original comedy series have been accepted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum's collection and are now on display in Cooperstown, N.Y.
[04/18/18 - 04:58 PM]
NBC Pulls "Taken" from Friday Lineup for Expanded "Dateline"
The Peacock will now finish the show's sophomore run on Saturday nights at 8:00/7:00c beginning May 26.
[04/18/18 - 04:39 PM]
National Geographic Documentary Films Acquires 2018 Sundance and SXSW Winner "Science Fair"
The film offers a front seat to the victories, defeats and motivations of an incredible group of young men and women who are on a path to change their lives, and the world, through science.

[04/18/18 - 04:38 PM]
National Geographic Greenlights Next Chapter in the "Chain of Command" Franchise
The second season of the "Chain of Command" franchise will premiere in early 2019 after National Geographic camera teams embed with the elite agency over the course of a year.
[04/18/18 - 04:37 PM]
National Geographic Greenlights Innovative Docu-Series: "In Their Own Words" (WT) from Peabody- and Emmy Award-Winning Producer/Director Tom Jennings
Tentative topics for the first season of the series include the Deepwater Horizon disaster, narco drug wars and the 2008 global financial meltdown.
[04/18/18 - 04:36 PM]
National Geographic's Critically Acclaimed Legacy Series "Explorer" to Return to the Network This Fall
The new season, currently in production, will premiere on National Geographic in 172 countries and 43 languages.
[04/18/18 - 02:16 PM]
A+E Networks Inks Overall Production and First-Look Development Deal with Award-Winning Journalist Elizabeth Vargas
The centerpiece of the agreement will make Vargas the face of the network's new nonfiction primetime journalistic banner A&E Investigates(TM).
[04/18/18 - 12:29 PM]
Catherine Bell and Cameron Mathison Begin Production in Fiji on Hallmark Channel's "A Summer to Remember" (wt)
Shooting on location in Fiji, the movie is set to premiere during the network's upcoming, annual "Summer Nights" programming event that celebrates the fun of the season.
[04/18/18 - 12:01 PM]
Velocity Is the New Home in the U.S. and Canada for Live Flag-to-Flag Coverage of the Iconic "24 Hours of Le Mans"
Under the agreement, Velocity and Motor Trend will also live broadcast the full FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) "Super Season", which begins with the Spa-Francorchamps event this May.
[04/18/18 - 11:05 AM]
Sundance Now Greenlights Second Season of Original Relationship Dramedy "This Close"
"This Close" will begin production on its eight-episode second season in summer 2018 in Los Angeles.
[04/18/18 - 11:02 AM]
MTV Reinvents "Yo! MTV Raps" Across Linear and Digital Platforms Kicking Off with 30th Anniversary Live Event at Barclays Center on June 1st
Tickets to the show go on sale on Friday, April 20 at 10AM ET.
[04/18/18 - 11:00 AM]
"Saturday Night Live" Closes Out Season 43 with an All-Star Line-Up and Three Back-to-Back Shows
Amy Schumer (May 12) and Tina Fey (May 19) will join the previously announced host Donald Glover (May 5).
[04/18/18 - 11:00 AM]
CBS Announces 11 More Series Renewals for 2018-2019
Combined with previously announced pickups, CBS has now renewed 17 series for next year, including its entire Tuesday and Friday night lineups.
[04/18/18 - 10:23 AM]
Syfy Picks Up Image's Killer High School Comic "Deadly Class" to Series
The story is set in the counter-culture of the late 1980s and tells the story of a teenager who is recruited into an elite private school filled with the children of crime families and affluent criminals.