Today at Comic Con, Starz released a trailer for their upcoming new series Spartacus: Blood and Sand. The show, which is described by Starz as an Action-Adventure Drama and promises to have a “graphic novel look and style” looks like it might be better titled Spartacus: Blood, Sand and Sex., based on the trailer we have to show you. Seriously, if you like violence, swords and sexy-sex, there’s a good chance you’re going to love this series because the trailer has all of the above. And for you BSG and/or Xena fans out there, Lucy Lawless is one of the stars included in this gladiator tale.
Sex and violence aside, it looks like we're also looking at a great story of survival.
Here’s the trailer that debuted at Comic Con today:
In case you’re unfamiliar with what Starz is doing with this show, below is part of a press release that was issued a few months back when Lucy Lawless was announced to be playing the role of Lucretia.
Lucy Lawless has also been cast as Lucretia, who along with her husband Batiatus, own the Ludus (a gladiator camp) – as well as Spartacus. 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. Among her many roles, Lawless is best known for portraying Xena: Warrior Princess in the long-running global hit series, and has appeared in SCI FI Channel’s critically acclaimed Battlestar Galactica.The world of gladiators comes to life as the Roman Republic’s most brutal fighters clash in the ultimate arena. Spartacus: Blood and Sand is an entirely new vision of the ancient legend and will utilize virtual environments giving it a unique graphic novel look and style, along with a fresh narrative approach. Debuting exclusively on Starz, Spartacus: Blood and Sand is produced by Starz Media with Executive Producers Rob Tapert, Sam Raimi and Joshua Donen.The UK-born and Australia-based Whitfield portrays Spartacus, a soldier in the Roman Auxiliary who has been taken prisoner. As punishment for defying a Roman Legate, Spartacus has been sentenced to die in the gladiator arena. But after surviving numerous fights, his sentence is commuted and he has been sold as a slave to be trained as a gladiator. While he is a newcomer in the U.S., Whitfield has gained acclaim in numerous Australian drama series (McLeod’s Daughters, Packed to the Rafters, The Strip and Out of the Blue) and also starred in the feature film Gabriel, one of the highest grossing films at the Australian Box Office in 2007. He just wrapped shooting on the Australian feature, The Clinic.Additional cast members include: Erin Cummings (Dollhouse) as Thracian priestess Sura, Spartacus’ wife; Peter Mensah (300, Avatar) as Doctore, Batiatus’ most loyal and trusted slave; Manu Bennett (30 Days of Night, The Condemned) as Crixus, the top gladiator at Batiatus’ Ludus; Antonio Te Maioha (Xena: Warrior Princess, Legend of the Seeker) as Barca, a big, hulking brute of a man who is Batiatus’ bodyguard and hit man; Craig Parker (The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Legend of the Seeker) as Glaber, a Roman Legate, who blames Spartacus for his failed military campaign; and Nick E. Tarabay (Crash, The Sopranos) as Ashur, a former gladiator who is now the Ludus’ resident bookie.
For even more information on Spartacus: Blood and Sand, Starz has photos and show info up on their website.
