Spartacus : Blood and Sand

Dregor Thule · Post by **Dregor Thule** » April 20, 2010, 2:05 pm

[Show]: Was just thinking, we don't actually see Lucretia die, just laying there bleeding next to a very much dead Batiatus. Granted, she's probably dead, but NEVER KNOW!

Kaldaur · Post by **Kaldaur** » April 20, 2010, 5:48 pm

[Show]: Right, Dregor, I was thinking they would have made it more definite if they left a corpse. I could see Illithyia stumbling into the house, expecting masses of bodies, only to find a certain warrior princess inside, thrashing.

Ashur · Post by **Ashur** » April 21, 2010, 3:39 pm

[Show]: Ashur better be a better badass in Season 2 or change his name. That's all I'm saying!

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » May 23, 2010, 1:17 pm

While the actor who plays the title character in the Starz drama “Spartacus: Blood and Sand” undergoes cancer treatment, the channel will produce a six-episode prequel to the series. Starz said Tuesday that the prequel is now in pre-production, with a tentative premiere date of January. Andy Whitfield, right, who plays Spartacus, has non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma; he will appear “in a limited capacity” in the prequel, Starz said, and the focus will be on two other characters from the show’s first season, played by Lucy Lawless and John Hannah. The Starz president and chief executive, Chris Albrecht, said that Mr. Whitfield was “responding to his treatments,” and that “as soon as he’s able, we look forward to continuing the Spartacus story.”

I watched the rest of the series and was as impressed as everyone else here at the show's turnaround.

Excellent last few episodes. Death comes often in this series with very few (Spartacus and Crixus?) known survivors.

I need to suspend believe at the beatings these guys come back from. They couldn't do it in moderns times, much less back then. I hope the lead actor recovers. It would be a shame if his cancer treatment caused him to be really skinny.

Why didn't they show Varro and Spartacus going at it in the baths? It was obvious they had the hots for each other. I didn't see that final scene with Varro coming, making it quite intense.

Not sure about the prequel. I think we've seen enough of Batiatus and Lucretia...but maybe some nudy scenes of Sparty's first love, Sura would help the ratings.

I also agree that Ashur was a good villain. He fits in there with Baltar for top "villains" that are multifaceted.

Here's too a full recovery for Andy Whitfield so the show has a chance at proving it's longevity in a second season (and not thrown together prequel). They could always give him a fake chest like Ricardo Montalban had in Wrath of Khan.

Dregor Thule · Post by **Dregor Thule** » September 18, 2010, 7:42 pm

Ugh, bad news

Andy Whitfields cancer is back, and he's going to be leaving the show. It looks like Starz is going to try recasting the part, but I wouldn't be surprised if this spelled the end for the show.

Shame for both Andy and for the show. Hope he gets better, and hope the show can survive recasting the main character.

Zaelath · Post by **Zaelath** » September 18, 2010, 10:41 pm

That sucks. I feel much worse for Andy than the show. If he even gets over the cancer it will take another miracle to rescue his career, when it should have been pretty solid based on his performance in this show.

Xatrei · Post by **Xatrei** » September 18, 2010, 10:58 pm

I was thinking about this earlier today when I read about this. I'd be kind of surprised if this results in the show's cancellation. This show has really put Starz on the map so to speak. I half-way expect that they will do a prequel season to introduce the new Spartacus, and then move on with slave revolt.

Noysyrump · Post by **Noysyrump** » September 21, 2010, 6:34 pm

The prequal has already been anounced, ive even seen previews.

Andy did do a great job in season 1, but it wasnt so pivotal as to ruin the show if he cant come back... Unlike the next Joker.

Boogahz · Post by **Boogahz** » December 28, 2010, 4:50 pm

The prequel series starts 1/21/11 on Starz. Spartacus: Gods of the Arena. There are several teaser video podcasts available on iTunes for it. Can't wait!

Playing Next
All times ET/PT Thursday, December 30th
Starz Edge 10:00pm
Starz Edge 11:00pm
Friday, December 31st
Starz 10:00pm
» View Full Schedule The House of Batiatus is on the rise, basking in the glow of its infamous champion Gannicus, whose skill with a sword is matched only by his thirst for wine and women. These are the times a young Batiatus has been waiting for. Poised to overthrow his father and take control, he’ll freely betray anyone to ensure his gladiators are in the highest demand. And he’ll have his loyal and calculating wife Lucretia by his side for every underhanded scheme, drawing on the brazen talents of her seductive friend Gaia when it counts. Together, they will stop at nothing to deceive the masses, seize power, and bleed Capua dry in this audacious prequel to “Spartacus: Blood and Sand.”

Premiering, January 21 “Spartacus: Gods of the Arena,” the highly anticipated prequel to “Spartacus: Blood and Sand,” tells the story of the original Champion of the House of Batiatus. Joining returning stars, John Hannah (The Mummy, Four Weddings and A Funeral) as Batiatus, Lucy Lawless ("Xena: Warrior Princess") as Lucretia and Peter Mensah (300, The Incredible Hulk) as Oenomaus, will be additional cast members Dustin Clare (“Underbelly”) as Gannicus, Jaime Murray (“Hu$tle”) as Gaia and Marisa Ramirez (“General Hospital”) as Melitta.

Canelek · Post by **Canelek** » December 28, 2010, 5:15 pm

Think I'll give this a whirl over the weekend since I finished SoA 1-3 quicker than I had thought.

Aslanna · Post by **Aslanna** » January 6, 2011, 7:15 am

The special effects are so laughable in this show I can't help but to... laugh. Obviously I can't fault them for not having a huge budget (i mean it's Starz afterall) but what makes it worse is when they do the slo-mo action on obvious low budget CGI shots. And the over-the-top phony blood spray doesn't do them any favors. While not as bad as in the first episode it does pretty much continue throughout the entire season.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » January 6, 2011, 11:40 am

Special effects are bad but the story is entertaining. I think most people mentioned how bad (over the top) the first episode or two seemed. I stuck with the show due to the comments on this forum and am glad I did.

Canelek · Post by **Canelek** » January 6, 2011, 1:53 pm

The CGI is pretty fucking awful, but like others have said, after the first few episodes, the story really takes off! Quite engaging and a heck of a finale. Bummed about the actor. Hope he recovers. Looking forward to both the prequel series and the hopeful series to follow.

Aslanna · Post by **Aslanna** » January 6, 2011, 5:03 pm

I watched it to the end. I wasn't commenting on the story. Regardless of how good it may be it doesn't make the effects any less laughable. I really don't know what they were going for with the crazy blood sprays especially ones that looked so bad.

As for the prequel... It just doesn't sound all that interesting to me so I probably wont bother.

Canelek · Post by **Canelek** » January 6, 2011, 10:06 pm

CGI blood never looks good, IMO. Putting it in slo-mo and using MORE CGI blood does nothing but make it look much, much worse. Whatever happened to red dye and corn syrup?

Boogahz · Post by **Boogahz** » January 7, 2011, 11:52 am

I don't think they were ever going for realism. It has been more like they want it to stand out.

Canelek · Post by **Canelek** » January 7, 2011, 1:06 pm

I think it just sends a message of, "this is really shitty CGI".

That said, the story is fun enough to keep watching!

Bubba Grizz · Post by **Bubba Grizz** » January 7, 2011, 3:10 pm

In Kill Bill vol 1, they used so much fake blood that they ran out. They had to do that scene in black and white so they could use water instead.

I never really noticed or cared about how the blood splatters looked in this show. I just took it as, "it is what it is".

Aslanna · Post by **Aslanna** » January 7, 2011, 3:17 pm

If they were going for comedic value they got it as I laughed at many of those scenes. Like when they popped of that big dude's head with the chain. Comedy gold!

However I'm not sure that was their intent. And actual 'fake blood" is a whole lot better than CGI fake blood.

Canelek · Post by **Canelek** » January 7, 2011, 4:42 pm

INGREDIENTS:

6 pints clear Karo syrup

3 pints red food coloring

1 pint non-dairy creamer

1 drop blue food coloring

EQUIPMENT:

Large ceramic bowl

Medium sized bowl

Spoon

Cleaning products

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. The Karo Syrup is your foundation, the base of your blood. Pour syrup into large ceramic bowl.

2. In the medium bowl, stir the non-dairy creamer until it turns into a nice paste. This will provide opacity.

3. Gradually fold the non-dairy paste into the syrup.

4. Stir in red food coloring. Add drop of blue food coloring for density.

5. Test on white surface.

6. Coast aspiring actorfrom top down.

7. To remove, place actor in hot shower fully clothed, and let sit for 30 minutes.

Kwonryu DragonFist · Post by **Kwonryu DragonFist** » January 13, 2011, 5:49 am

Looking forward to the Prequel, where Batiatus Ludus had another Champ, who would soon become defeated by Crixus.

Im guessing the Prequel is mostly The Rise of Crixus and how he became Champ in the End.

Canelek · Post by **Canelek** » January 13, 2011, 1:18 pm

Hopefully less wang this time around!

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » January 13, 2011, 1:40 pm

Canelek wrote:Hopefully less wang this time around!

Spartacus: Rise of the Banana Hammocks

Besides the funky blood CGI action scenes, this show is selling itself as soft porn for the most part.

Canelek · Post by **Canelek** » January 13, 2011, 1:44 pm

Indeed. Emmanuel in Rome.

Boogahz · Post by **Boogahz** » January 13, 2011, 1:55 pm

Kwonryu DragonFist wrote:Looking forward to the Prequel, where Batiatus Ludus had another Champ, who would soon become defeated by Crixus.

Im guessing the Prequel is mostly The Rise of Crixus and how he became Champ in the End.

Supposed to start with when Batiatus took over the Ludus, from what I have read. Starts next week!

Boogahz · Post by **Boogahz** » January 17, 2011, 7:36 pm

Australian Actor Picked to Topline Hit Series for Starz
Production of Season 2 Is Set to Begin in New Zealand by Spring 2011
Liam McIntyre

Jan. 17, 2011 – Australian film and TV actor Liam McIntyre has excelled at a grueling and rigorous audition process to claim the title role in the second season of Starz’ hit franchise, “Spartacus,” Starz, LLC, President and CEO Chris Albrecht announced today.

McIntyre takes over the role of the Thracian warrior sold into slavery in the Roman Republic city of Capua – where he rises to become the champion of the city – before leading the slave revolt that ended Season 1. The part was played in the first season of “Spartacus: Blood and Sand” by Andy Whitfield, who was forced to leave the show in order due to health issues. Whitfield gave his blessing to the recasting.

“Since no one can really replace Andy, we realized that we should instead find an actor who can truly lead ‘Spartacus’ forward,” Albrecht notes. “It was important to us to have Andy endorse the idea of recasting this part, which he did in the same heroic manner that he’s dealt with his whole ordeal. And that, coupled with our fortune in finding a young actor with the gladiator credentials and the acting ability of Liam, makes it easier for us to keep this hit franchise going.”

Liam McIntyre made his mark in his native Australia on such series as “Neighbours,” and “Rush.” He also appeared in the HBO mini-series “The Pacific.” He recently completed his first feature starring role in the independent film Frozen Moments. McIntyre is currently in New Zealand, getting himself into gladiator shape in order to take on that iconic role. Production on the series is slated to resume by Spring of 2011.

From the time “Spartacus: Blood and Sand” debuted on Starz in January, 2010, it established itself as an epic production with rich storytelling and visuals unlike anything seen previously on any TV show. Audiences responded immediately, making it the most-watched premiere in Starz’ history, and making the show the most watched cable program on nearly two-thirds of the Fridays it aired original episodes. Also starring John Hannah as Batiatus, Lucy Lawless as Lucretia, Peter Mensah as Doctore, Manu Bennett as Crixus and Viva Bianca as Ilythia, “Spartacus: Blood and Sand” was one of the most talked-about and best-loved TV shows of 2010. Season 2 of the series finds Spartacus and his fellow gladiators now out of Capua and engaged in the massive slave rebellion against Roman society that has echoed through time.

Bubba Grizz · Post by **Bubba Grizz** » January 18, 2011, 11:17 am

Kwonryu DragonFist · Post by **Kwonryu DragonFist** » January 23, 2011, 6:07 pm

New dude is no Andy but what can ya do?

The Prequel Gods of the Arena is good though!

Kwonryu DragonFist · Post by **Kwonryu DragonFist** » February 1, 2011, 4:27 am

Ashur wrote:
[Show]
Ashur better be a better badass in Season 2 or change his name. That's all I'm saying!

[Show]: Ashur is indeed much tougher in the prequel "Gods of the Arena".

Canelek · Post by **Canelek** » February 1, 2011, 6:16 am

It's pretty good. Well, it is exactly like the first one. So if that works for ya, it is worth a watch.

Kwonryu DragonFist · February 8, 2011, 10:07 am

It's like the first one but with more threesomes lol

Canelek · Post by **Canelek** » February 9, 2011, 12:04 pm

Romans are creepy as fuck.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » February 9, 2011, 12:38 pm

Canelek wrote:Romans are creepy as fuck.

Some ancient Romans placed a phallic symbol over a door as a symbol of good luck and fertility, and miniature phalluses were often worn as lucky charms.

You can restart a luck charm tradition Canelek!

Canelek · Post by **Canelek** » February 9, 2011, 2:48 pm

If Prince's symbol had been invented, they would have used that.

Last episode, ewwww. Glad they didn't do any closeups! The girl who played the unfortunate slave is super-hot though!

Kwonryu DragonFist · February 10, 2011, 1:36 pm

Yes, liking that slave-girl but that Roman fuck was creepy as hell!

Would be happy to punch his smirk off his face

Kwonryu DragonFist · February 12, 2011, 12:33 pm

Didnt like Ep 04 Beneath the Mask that much!

What an ending!

Canelek · Post by **Canelek** » February 12, 2011, 10:02 pm

Yeah, I thunk we all understand they are trying to gain favor of the elite by now. Would rather just move on past that.

Funkmasterr · Post by **Funkmasterr** » February 13, 2011, 2:47 pm

Canelek wrote:Yeah, I thunk we all understand they are trying to gain favor of the elite by now. Would rather just move on past that.

They can take their time imo. The more threesomes and orgies the better!

I started watching this not knowing it was a prequel, so now I'm watching the first season, so far I like it!

Canelek · Post by **Canelek** » February 16, 2011, 4:57 am

Ashur wrote:
[Show]
Ashur better be a better badass in Season 2 or change his name. That's all I'm saying!

[Show]: No, he is pretty much a bitch still. Sorry bro!

Canelek · Post by **Canelek** » February 20, 2011, 8:54 am

The new episode of 'Arena is fucking rad! I didn't think I'd be into the prequel, but once again I am proven wrong by the strong writing, and surprising good acting.

Xena, apparently.

Kwonryu DragonFist · February 22, 2011, 1:48 am

By Jupiter's Cock!

This Season's Finale will be EPIC with Team PvP in that Ring of Fire!!!

Canelek · Post by **Canelek** » February 27, 2011, 10:29 pm

Solid finale! Lol-tie in to Season 1 with the obvious "we shall speak not his name next season or suffer the plot holes!". However, since the prequel was not planned in advance of the first season, they acquitted themselves well.

Funkmasterr · Post by **Funkmasterr** » February 28, 2011, 11:25 am

Yep, was a good end. I hope dude is well and they pick back up with a new season!

Canelek · Post by **Canelek** » February 28, 2011, 11:45 am

He already stepped out due to his illness and has been replaced. Think they are in pre-production now.

Funkmasterr · Post by **Funkmasterr** » February 28, 2011, 4:28 pm

Ah, gotcha. Oh well, hopefully they can keep it going.

Boogahz · Post by **Boogahz** » February 28, 2011, 6:22 pm

yeah, I posted a quote about the replacement about halfway up this page. I apparently didn't include a link, which I would normally do.

Aslanna · Post by **Aslanna** » September 11, 2011, 11:44 pm

Andy Whitfield -- who left the show "Spartacus: Blood and Sand" after he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin Lymphoma -- died today in Sydney, Australia.

Canelek · Post by **Canelek** » September 11, 2011, 11:58 pm

that's terrible.

Kaldaur · Post by **Kaldaur** » September 12, 2011, 1:58 am

Quite a shame. He was wonderful in the role and I enjoyed watching him act. Rest in peace.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » September 12, 2011, 3:21 am

Wow, sad news. Enjoy your life and health. It can be taken away from you quickly in so many ways.