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The show was initially renewed for a second season but production was delayed because Whitfield was diagnosed with early-stage [[non-Hodgkin lymphoma]]. Due to the delay Starz is producing a six-episode [[prequel]] series, entitled ''[[Spartacus: Gods of the Arena]]''. Pre-production of season 2 began following the announcement that Whitfield was cancer free,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.deadline.com/2010/06/spartacus-star-andy-whitfield-is-cancer-free-ready-to-return-to-the-starz-series/ |title={{-'}}Spartacus' Star Andy Whitfield Is Cancer-Free & Ready To Return To The Starz Series |publisher=Deadline |date=June 8, 2010 |first=Nellie |last=Andreeva |accessdate=July 14, 2010}}</ref> however his cancer recurred.<ref name="Deadlinecancer">{{cite web|last=Andreeva|first=Nellie|title={{-'}}Spartacus' Star Andy Whitfield's Cancer Is Back: Won't Return Next Season To Series|url=http://www.deadline.com/2010/09/spartacus-star-andy-whitfield-wont-return-for-season-2-future-of-starzs-series-is-in-limbo/|publisher=Deadline Hollywood|accessdate=18 September 2010}}</ref>Starz has since replaced Whitfield with actor [[Liam McIntyre]], who will play Spartacus for season two.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.collegenews.com/index.php?/article/liam_mcintyre_5488751224/ |title={{-'}}Liam McIntyre confirmed to take over Spartacus role |publisher=College News |date=January 18, 2011 |first=Elliot |last=Crumpley |accessdate=January, 18 2011}}</ref>
The show was initially renewed for a second season but production was delayed because Whitfield was diagnosed with early-stage [[non-Hodgkin lymphoma]]. Due to the delay Starz is producing a six-episode [[prequel]] series, entitled ''[[Spartacus: Gods of the Arena]]''. Pre-production of season 2 began following the announcement that Whitfield was cancer free,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.deadline.com/2010/06/spartacus-star-andy-whitfield-is-cancer-free-ready-to-return-to-the-starz-series/ |title={{-'}}Spartacus' Star Andy Whitfield Is Cancer-Free & Ready To Return To The Starz Series |publisher=Deadline |date=June 8, 2010 |first=Nellie |last=Andreeva |accessdate=July 14, 2010}}</ref> however his cancer recurred.<ref name="Deadlinecancer">{{cite web|last=Andreeva|first=Nellie|title={{-'}}Spartacus' Star Andy Whitfield's Cancer Is Back: Won't Return Next Season To Series|url=http://www.deadline.com/2010/09/spartacus-star-andy-whitfield-wont-return-for-season-2-future-of-starzs-series-is-in-limbo/|publisher=Deadline Hollywood|accessdate=18 September 2010}}</ref>Starz has since replaced Whitfield with actor [[Liam McIntyre]], who will play Spartacus for season two.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.collegenews.com/index.php?/article/liam_mcintyre_5488751224/ |title={{-'}}Liam McIntyre confirmed to take over Spartacus role |publisher=College News |date=January 18, 2011 |first=Elliot |last=Crumpley |accessdate=January, 18 2011}}</ref>


a lot of porn of violence its pretty fuckin awsome
== Plot ==
{{Main|List of Spartacus: Blood and Sand episodes}}

The story begins with an unnamed Thracian’s involvement in a unit of [[Auxiliaries (Roman military)|Roman auxiliary]] in a campaign against the [[Getae]] ([[Dacians|Dacian]] tribes that occupied the regions south of the [[Danube|Lower Danube]], in what is today northern [[Bulgaria]], and north of the Lower Danube, in [[Romania]]) under the command of the ''[[legatus]]'', [[Gaius Claudius Glaber|Claudius Glaber]]. In 72-71 BC, [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] general [[Marcus Terentius Varro Lucullus]], [[proconsul]] of the Roman province of [[Macedonia (Roman province)|Macedonia]], marched against the Getae, who were allies of Rome's enemy, [[Mithridates VI of Pontus]]. The Getae frequently raid the Thracians' lands, so the Thracians are persuaded by Glaber to enlist in the Romans' service as auxiliaries. Glaber is persuaded by his wife Ilithyia to seek greater glory, decides to break off attacking the Getae and directly confront the forces of Mithridates in Asia Minor. The Thracian, feeling betrayed, leads a mutiny against Glaber, and returns to find his village destroyed. The Thracian and his wife Sura, are captured by Glaber the next day; the Thracian is condemned to die in the [[gladiator]] arena for his crime, while Sura is taken away, condemned to [[Slavery in ancient Rome|slavery]]. The Thracian is shipped to [[Capua]] in Italy, a center of gladiator training. Against all odds in the arena he slays the four gladiators appointed to execute him and becomes an instant sensation with the crowd. Senator Albinius commutes the punishment from death to slavery. The prisoner's true name unknown, [[Lentulus Batiatus]], the owner of a ''[[Ludus (ancient Rome)|ludus]]'' in Capua, suggests to name him "Spartacus", because he fought like the ferocious [[Kings of Thrace#Odrysae|Thracian king of that name]].

Noting well the Thracian's fierce raw talent and popularity with the masses, Batiatus purchases him for training within the walls of his ''ludus'' under the tutelage of Doctore, a former gladiator and fellow slave. He is befriended by Varro, a Roman who sold himself into slavery in order to pay his debts and support his family. He is harassed by more senior gladiators, notably [[Crixus]], an undefeated [[Gaul]], and Barca, a [[Carthaginian]]. Spartacus soon learns that Sura was sold to a [[Seleucid Empire|Syrian]] slave trader. Batiatus, who has been unable to control Spartacus during his first days of training, promises to find Sura and reunite them in exchange for the promising neophyte's cooperation in the arena.

After many near-fatal ordeals and much further training Spartacus attains the status of a living legend and is named the "Champion of Capua". Batiatus arranges the purchase of Sura, but she is delivered mortally wounded, supposedly having been waylaid by bandits en route. Her murder was secretly ordered by Batiatus to keep Spartacus loyal and focused. Spartacus casts off his heritage as a Thracian and forgets his dream of freedom, becoming content with life as champion.

The turning point comes when Spartacus is set to fight his only friend in the ludus, Varro, in an exhibition match celebrating the coming to manhood of the Capuan magistrate's son, Numerius. Ilithyia, who has hated Spartacus since he embarrassed her husband Glaber by his mutiny, seduces the young man and convinces him to demand death for the loser of the match. Spartacus wins (as expected), and when the young man gives the "thumbs down", Batiatus, wishing to ingratiate himself with the boy's powerful father, forces Spartacus to comply and kill Varro. While suffering from both his wound in this match and his remorse and sorrow over having to kill his friend, Spartacus has fever dreams that lead him to discover that Batiatus arranged Sura's death. Knowing that it is all or nothing when it comes to resistance of his enslavement, he resolves to "kill them all" and lead a revolt against the ruling house he once fought for.

In order to get his revenge, Spartacus enlists the help of Crixus and the rest of the gladiators to defeat the house of Batiatus once and for all. A battle to the death between Crixus and Spartacus is arranged for the Capuan elite at the ludus. Doctore (who Batiatus refers to by his real name, Oenomaus) confronts Batiatus about Barca's death and Ashur's hand in it. Spartacus gains support from Mira who is tasked with opening the gate to the villa from the training area. Crixus resists aiding Spartacus in hopes of reuniting with Naevia. However, after learning he was weakened to ensure Spartacus' victory, at the last moment he joins with Spartacus. Doctore initially stops Spartacus from killing Batiatus. In the ensuing chaos of the gladiators killing the guards and some guests, Crixus persuades Doctore to join him with Spartacus, Illithyia escapes and has her guards seal the door to the ludus from the outside, Doctore, making good on his word, tries to kill Ashur but ends up being eluded, Crixus grievously wounds Batiatus' wife, Lucretia, with a sword stab to her abdomen piercing her womb and killing their unborn child, Aurelia kills Numerius after revealing to him that Varro was her husband, and Spartacus finally kills Batiatus in front of the seriously wounded Lucretia. After the massacre, Spartacus vows to make "Rome tremble".


== Cast and characters ==
== Cast and characters ==

Revision as of 03:38, 20 January 2011

Spartacus: Blood and Sand
GenreHistorical drama
Sword-and-sandal[1]
Created bySteven S. DeKnight
Written byAaron Helbing
Todd Helbing
Miranda Kwok
Steven S. DeKnight
Brent Fletcher
Tracy Bellomo
Andrew Chambliss
Daniel Knauf
Directed byMichael Hurst
Rick Jacobson
Jesse Warn
Starring
ComposerJoseph LoDuca
Country of originUnited States
Original languageTransclusion error: {{En}} is only for use in File namespace. Use {{lang-en}} or {{in lang|en}} instead.
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes13 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
ProducersChloe Smith
Charles Knight
Aaron Lam
Production locationNew Zealand
CinematographyAaron Morton
EditorsGary Hunt
Jonathan Woodford-Robinson
Running time50 minutes
Original release
NetworkStarz
ReleaseJanuary 22, 2010 (2010-01-22) –
present

Spartacus: Blood and Sand is a Starz television series that premiered on January 22, 2010. The series focuses on the historical figure of Spartacus (played by Andy Whitfield), a Thracian gladiator who from 73 to 71 BCE led a major slave uprising against the Roman Republic. Executive producers Steven S. DeKnight and Robert Tapert focused on structuring the events of Spartacus's obscure early life leading up to the beginning of historical records.[2] The show has been rated TV-MA for graphic violence, strong sexual content, and coarse language.

The show was initially renewed for a second season but production was delayed because Whitfield was diagnosed with early-stage non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Due to the delay Starz is producing a six-episode prequel series, entitled Spartacus: Gods of the Arena. Pre-production of season 2 began following the announcement that Whitfield was cancer free,[3] however his cancer recurred.[4]Starz has since replaced Whitfield with actor Liam McIntyre, who will play Spartacus for season two.[5]

a lot of porn of violence its pretty fuckin awsome

Cast and characters

Main article: List of Spartacus: Blood and Sand characters

Production

The series aired in Canada on TMN beginning on January 25, 2010.[7] RTL 5 announced in their January newsletter that Spartacus: Blood and Sand will debut in the Netherlands in March.[8] In the United Kingdom, Bravo began airing the series on May 25, 2010.[9][10] Following the axe of Bravo on UK television, Sky One has now picked up the rights to the series and will air all subsequent seasons. The series is also scheduled to premiere in Poland on HBO Poland starting from June 19, 2010 [11] and in Hungary on HBO Magyarország starting from June 1, 2010.[12][13] In Hispanic America the series will be release in July 2010 by Moviecity Pack.[14] The series airs in Ireland on TV3.[15] In Brazil, the show airs on Globosat HD.

On December 22, 2009, a month before it premiered, it was announced that the show was renewed by Starz for a second season.[citation needed] On March 9, 2010, IGN.com reported that production of Season 2 had been delayed due to star Whitfield being diagnosed with early-stage non-Hodgkin lymphoma.[16] Due to the delay, Starz announced on May 11, 2010, that it is developing a six-episode prequel series, entitled Spartacus: Gods of the Arena.[17] The prequel features new and returning stars, headlining the roles of John Hannah as Batiatus, and Lucy Lawless as Lucretia. Star Andy Whitfield will also briefly appear. Production begins in New Zealand in the summer of 2010 and the prequel will air beginning January 2011.[18]

However in September 2010, Starz announced that Whitfield's cancer had returned and he had decided not to return for season 2, tentatively scheduled for September 2011.[19] The show will continue, but Starz plans on recasting the role of Spartacus in the wake of Whitfield's exit.[20] Whitfield also gave his blessing for Starz to recast the role when he anounced he would not return.

On January 7, 2011, Starz president Chris Albrecht told journalists at the Television Critics Association press tour that the network had decided to go forward with a second full season of Spartacus: Blood and Sand. In an interview later that day, Albrecht said a new lead actor for the series would be announced in the following weeks and the second season of Spartacus will probably arrive in early 2012, if filming is on schedule.

Spartacus series creator Steven S. DeKnight said in an interview, There are a "couple of very strong candidates" for the role of Spartacus, and season two should begin production in New Zealand in April [2011]. DeKnight added that the Spartacus producers and Starz executives weren't always sure they would go forward without Andy Whitfield, who they said had brought "gravity and heart" to the role of the famous warrior. "It's unheard of to recast your titular character in a television show, and we did a lot of soul searching about whether we even wanted to try," DeKnight said. "And then Andy [Whitfield] said, 'I really think the show should go forward without me. I give you the blessing. I want this story told.'"[21]

On Jan. 17, 2011, it was announced that Australian film and TV actor Liam McIntyre had been selected to replace Whitfield. [22]

Reception

The premiere episode of the series set a record for Starz, with 553,000 viewers on their network, and another 460,000 on Encore, where the show was available only that weekend.[23] For the rest of the season the show had 1.285 million average viewers. Critical reception of the first episode was mixed; the review aggregate website Metacritic which assigns a normalized average score out of 100 gave the show a score of 54% based on 22 reviews.[24] Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly gave it the grade B+, saying it "might prove to be the not-at-all-guilty pleasure of the season."[25] Barry Garron of the Hollywood Reporter suggested that with "such thin stories...it's small wonder that sex and violence are used to take up the slack."[26] Robert Lloyd of the Los Angeles Times wrote that John Hannah as Batiatus "keeps the show grounded with a persuasive portrait of a man engaged in a stressful daily business" and called Whitfield as Spartacus "handsome and buff and smart and beastly."[27] Mark Perigard of the Boston Herald gave the season finale a positive review, rating it a B+. He commented on the improvement of the series throughout its first season.[28]

Prequel

The prequel, Spartacus: Gods of the Arena, has begun production in August 2010 and will shoot six episodes. The prequel will premiere in January 2011. The plot will tell the story of Batiatus (John Hannah) who is not yet the head of his family or of the gladiator training school. Gannicus is the lead gladiator in the Ludus, but the House of Batiatus has not earned social respect or the right for its gladiators to fight in championship bouts. Gannicus struggles to turn around the House's luck.[citation needed]

Historical deviations

Producers Steven S. DeKnight and Robert Tapert have stated they used two historical consultants, with whom they exchanged scripts.[2] Historical details of the life of Spartacus before the rebellion, which the first season of the series depicts, are limited.[29]

  • Guards are shown dressed as Roman legionaries wearing lorica segmentata. The first attested use of this type of armor by legionaries dates to around 9 BC,[30] six decades after Spartacus' revolt.
  • When the viewer last sees Glaber he is considering running for the office of praetor as Spartacus rebels. Historically, he was already serving as praetor when the revolt started.[31]
  • While the show depicts the Getae as enemies of "Thrace", historically the Getae were one of many Thracian tribes.[32][33]

References

  1. ^ Stackhouse, Ray. "Spartacus: Blood and Sand — Overview". AllMovie. Retrieved 2010-09-27.
  2. ^ a b Interview: Steven S. DeKnight and Robert Tapert from Spartacus: Blood And Sand
  3. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (June 8, 2010). "'Spartacus' Star Andy Whitfield Is Cancer-Free & Ready To Return To The Starz Series". Deadline. Retrieved July 14, 2010.
  4. ^ Andreeva, Nellie. "'Spartacus' Star Andy Whitfield's Cancer Is Back: Won't Return Next Season To Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 18 September 2010.
  5. ^ Crumpley, Elliot (January 18, 2011). "'Liam McIntyre confirmed to take over Spartacus role". College News. Retrieved January, 18 2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  6. ^ Lynch, Rene (January 17, 2011). "Liam McIntyre steps into the arena as 'Spartacus'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 17, 2011.
  7. ^ "Spartacus: Blood And Sand – Schedule | The Movie Network". The Movie Network. Retrieved January 24, 2010 (2010-01-24). {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  8. ^ "Programmering en Sales Promoties" (in Dutch). Retrieved January 23, 2010 (2010-01-23). RTL 5 ends the week with a double episode of the spectacular new series Spartacus: Blood & Sand. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
  9. ^ "Preview: Spartacus – Blood and Sand". Beehive City. 2010-04-27. Retrieved 2010-09-27.
  10. ^ "Spartacus fights his way to UK pay-TV" (Press release). 2010-03-08. Retrieved 2010-03-08.
  11. ^ "Spartakus: Krew i piach, odc. 1 - HBO Polska". Hbo.pl. Retrieved 2010-09-27.
  12. ^ "Spartacus: Vér és homok 1. - HBO Magyarország". Hbo.hu. Retrieved 2010-09-27.
  13. ^ "SPARTACUS: BLOOD AND SAND / Spartacus: Vér és homok". HBO Magyarország. Retrieved 2010-05-19.
  14. ^ "Moviecity Pack ¿Qué quieres ver hoy?". Moviecitypack.com. Retrieved 2010-09-27.
  15. ^ "Spartacus - TV3". The TV3 Group. Retrieved 10 August 2010.
  16. ^ "Spartacus Halts Production Of Season 2". IGN. News Corporation. March 9, 2010. Retrieved March 9, 2010.
  17. ^ "Starz Homepage".
  18. ^ MacIntyre, April (May 11, 2010). "Spartacus Prequel announced by Starz, Whitfield to star". Monsters and Critics. Retrieved May 25, 2010.
  19. ^ Whitfield's Cancer returned
  20. ^ [1]
  21. ^ http://www.tvsquad.com/2011/01/09/spartacus-starz/
  22. ^ McIntyre new Spartacus
  23. ^ [2][dead link]
  24. ^ "Spartacus: Blood and Sand". Metacritic. CBS. Retrieved January 27, 2010.
  25. ^ Tucker, Ken (January 20, 2010). "Spartacus: Blood and Sand (2010)". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 27, 2010.
  26. ^ Garron, Barry (January 21, 2010). "Spartacus: Blood and Sand -- TV Review". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 27, 2010. [dead link]
  27. ^ Lloyd, Robert (January 22, 2010). "Review: 'Spartacus: Blood and Sand' on Starz". Lost Angeles Times. Retrieved April 11, 2010.
  28. ^ Perigard, Mark A. (April 16, 2010). "'Spartacus' season finale is a bloody good time". Boston Herald. Retrieved April 30, 2010.
  29. ^ Garron, Barry (January 21, 2010). "Spartacus: Blood and Sand - TV Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 27, 2010. [dead link]
  30. ^ M.C. Bishop (2002) Lorica Segmentata Volume I: A Handbook of Articulated Roman Plate Armour p.23 http://www.scribd.com/doc/3961788/Lorica-Segmentata-Volume-I-A-Handbook-of-Articulated-Roman-Plate-Armour
  31. ^ Broughton, T.R.S. Magistrates of the Roman Republic II.109, 115
  32. ^ Herodotus, Histories IV.93
  33. ^ Mommsen, T. (1885) The Provinces of the Roman Empire I.208

External links

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