Smallscreen News

'Spartacus' is so good Starz gave it a second season already

By April MacIntyre Dec 22, 2009, 5:03 GMT

Today Starz reeled it out: Their executives announced plans to order a second season of the original series “Spartacus: Blood and Sand,” set to premiere Friday, January 22nd at 10 pm ET/PT.

"Spartacus" is so good Starz gave it a season two greenlight before it aired season one.

After viewing the first four episodes, fans of action, loads of sex, beautifully choreographed fight scenes, great story and compelling characters will have a real smallscreen feast come January 2010.

Today Starz reeled it out: Their executives announced plans to order a second season of the original series “Spartacus: Blood and Sand,” set to premiere Friday, January 22nd at 10 pm ET/PT.

This series is flat out riveting to watch, with beautiful, digitally enhanced backdrops and colors intensified in the digital intermediate process.  Fans of the film "300" and "Gladiator" will absolutely fall for this epic which features the ripped lead character, Thracian Spartacus (Andy Whitfield).

Truth be told, the performance I got the most enjoyment out of was Andy's character's whip cracking tutor Doctore (Peter Mensah) at the ludus, a gladiator school of Lentulus Batiatu (John Hannah).  This man has bone structure that is otherworldly, and he eats up each frame he is in.

The unusual timing of the renewal, more than one month prior to the debut of the highly anticipated program, gives returning executive producers Rob Tapert, Sam Raimi, Joshua Donen and Steven S. DeKnight (who is also the head writer on the show) the green light to start production in New Zealand on 13 new episodes in the first quarter of 2010.

“We couldn’t be happier with the first season.  Spartacus delivers on all levels – action, characters, intrigue, romance and excitement,” said Starz Entertainment EVP, Programming, Stephan Shelanski. “Spartacus is the most ambitious original project we’ve ever undertaken, and speaks to the commitment to our subscribers to provide truly original programming along with our unmatched lineup of theatrical features.”

“Steven S. DeKnight and his team of writers have created a rich narrative that lays the groundwork for more great stories,” added Executive Producer Rob Tapert. “The slave rebellion led by Spartacus and the oh-so-current political intrigue and personal dynamics laid out in the first season provide rich source material for the second season and beyond.”

The title of the second season is expected to be “Spartacus: Vengeance,” but other details are being kept under wraps, so as not to spoil any of the sure-to-shock plot twists the first season promises to deliver.

Nearly 4 million moviegoers saw the new “Spartacus: Blood and Sand” trailer in theaters over the weekend and it is expected to hit wide online today.

The series is shot utilizing virtual environments in the graphic novel style of such successful features as 300 and Sin City. The process gives the show a fresh narrative approach and a hyper-realistic look that is unlike anything yet seen on TV. It’s an entirely new vision of the ancient legend.