via press release:
STARZ RETURNS TO THE ARENA WITH MORE ‘SPARTACUS’
Second Season of Highly Anticipated Action Adventure Series Gets
Green Light Prior To January 22 Premiere
Burbank, Calif. – December 21, 2009 – In a bold vote of confidence, Starz executives announced plans today to order a second season of the ground-breaking new original series “Spartacus: Blood and Sand,” set to premiere Friday, January 22nd at 10 pm ET/PT. 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.
“Spartacus: Blood and Sand” features Australian newcomer Andy Whitfield as the title character, a Thracian fighting to return to his wife after being sold into slavery at a gladiatorial school. He is joined by Lucy Lawless (“Xena: Warrior Princess,” “Battlestar: Galactica”) as the deceptive Lucretia, John Hannah (The Mummy movies) as her power-hungry husband Batiatus, Peter Mensah (300) as the head of the gladiatorial school, Doctore, along with a cast of familiar as well as fresh faces.
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.
Debuting exclusively on Starz, “Spartacus: Blood and Sand” is produced by Starz Media with Executive Producers Rob Tapert (The Grudge, “Xena: Warrior Princess” and “Hercules: The Legendary Journeys”), Sam Raimi (Spider-Man and The Evil Dead), Joshua Donen (The Quick and the Dead) and Steven S. DeKnight (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer”).
About Starz Media
Starz Media, LLC, is a programming production and distribution company operating worldwide. It includes the Film Roman, Anchor Bay Entertainment, and Manga Entertainment brands. Its units create animated and live-action programming -- including theatrical films -- and programming created under contract for other media companies. It distributes that programming, and programming acquired from outside producers, through home video retailers, theaters, broadcasters, ad supported and premium television channels, and Internet and wireless video distributors in the US and internationally. Starz Media (www.starzmedia.com) is a controlled subsidiary of Liberty Media Corporation attributed to the Liberty Capital Group.
About Starz Entertainment
Starz Entertainment, LLC, is a premium movie service provider operating in the United States. It offers 16 movie channels including the flagship Starz® and Encore® brands with approximately 17.3 million and 30.7 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.
Nice was planning on checking it out
What’s the ratings expectations for this? I’d say Starz will be happy with anything starting out, since it’s one of their first forays into this type of entertainment.
How did Party Down’s ratings do in it’s first season?
So this year there has been a show canceled before it could air its new season, now a new show is renewed before it airs its first episode. Strange year in television.
Good luck, Spartacus.
Great news on the expanded episode order. I think this series will equal or perhaps even surpass ‘Legend of the Seeker’.
I’d also be curious to see the STARZ numbers for Mr. Rob Thomas’s sublime ‘Party Down’ comedy. The numbers must have been good given that the series got second season renewal papers.
Congrats to Spartacus! Nothing beats sandals and sinew!
Oh God I hope this is better than Crash. What a disaster that show was for Starz. The first season was good and we were left with 3 cliff hangers and they started the second season by abandoning all previous storylines and it was a disaster! I have zero expectations for this series so I can only be pleasantly surprised if it is anything other than terrible. I never did see any ratings posted for the second season of Crash so that leads me to believe it did absolutely terrible. I cannot imagine there will be a third season of Crash.
Here’s a question I’ve had on my mind for a long time: Exactly who decides when a new series is “highly anticipated”? I have seen this claim included in numerous articles over the years, and it always puzzled me. Was the new “Bionic Woman” really “highly anticipated”? Apparently not.
“Joey, do you like movies about gladiators?”
This show looks absolutely terrible and knowing what other programmes Starz has commissioned in their past and the woeful ratings that followed this will probably be crap as well.
They don’t have the budget, the writers or acting talent of 300 (Minus Butler), so why even bother. Starz must be desperate if this was the best they could offer us for in the future.
What the heck is that in his loincloth? Is that part of the “hyper-reality”?
If you don’t know what’s in a loincloth, I’m not sure anyone should tell you.
Rob, it’s called a sock. I guess it was to avoid the small penis humiliation.
Hmmm. I’ve seen the first two episodes of this, and I think the confidence in it may be premature. It depends on whether or not it can find a loyal audience, but there are a lot of factors that could put off potential viewers, from its highly-stylized nature to its extremely graphic nature and full-frontal male nudity. I’ll probably watch a few more episodes out of curiosity, but it’s definitely not on my must-see list yet.
If you don’t have cable or Starz, but have Netflix, you should be able to watch this show streaming on their website or through your Xbox 360.
I heard this show was shot on location in New Zealand. I can’t imagine it getting huge numbers on Starz.
If HBO and Showtime can produce their own shows, why not Starz?
I think Spartacus will help pull some new subscribers. I think audiences that fell in love with HBO’s Rome will be drawn to a show built on similar premises of the realistic portrayal of ancient times. In fact Rome might still be on the air if it filmed in a place like New Zealand and not in Europe. The only reason it ended was budget constraints that couldn’t be covered. Spartacus might be a gamble for network not known for high-end self produced projects but its worked for other cable networks so why not give it a go. Because of Starz involvement with Netflix it could make the show more available to people who don’t subscribe but may be inclined to buy DVD sets or sign up for programming.
@Some Guy Named John:
I don’t doubt that this will attract some of Rome’s viewers, but as for realistic portrayal? Nope. While Rome made quite a bit of effort to be historically accurate in plot and setting (with some leeway for the benefit of the story), Spartacus is very much a fantasy that happens to be set in an ancient time period. There’s very little there for people who are looking for a realistic historical drama.
It needs around 450,000 viewers in order to be deemed a success for Starz. Pretty sure Starz will get at least that, no doubt about it.
Dillan where did you pull that number from? If Starz want to increase their carriage fee, gain new subscribers and create a brand name, they’ll need more than that measley figure. I also cannot see it gaining much critical acclaim; it looks like a medieval soap opera.
I was wondering why the wife started leaving drool on her pillow, I haven’t seen her do that since the 300 thing
Cruel_Heartless says:
“Rob, it’s called a sock.”
No way. That’s braunschweiger.