Starz had a hit with the first season of Spartacus: Blood and Sand, so they decided to capitalize by not only working on a second season of the show, but also making a prequel show. The prequel, Spartacus: Gods of the Arena, really won’t have much to do with Spartacus. Instead it will focus on the house of Batiatus, played by John Hannah, before Spartacus shows up and dominates everybody. Expect to see an intriguing look into the inequality of social classes in ancient Rome, along with the responsibilities of those in charge of the care for others. I’m just kidding, it is going to feature a bunch of very muscular men in leather underoos killing each other in extremely over the top ways.
For fans of the first season of Spartacus: Blood and Sand, there will be a few familiar faces returning for Spartacus: Gods of the Arena. First, Batiatus and his wife Lucretia will have prominent roles in the series, and will still be played by John Hannah and Lucy Lawless. The gladiator Crixus will also be returning, played by Manu Bennett. Crixus will once again be playing second fiddle to another gladiator, this time Gannicus, the first Champion of Capua. Gannicus will be played by Dustin Clare, an Australian actor I’ve never heard of before. New cast members joining Clare will be Jaime Murray and Marisa Ramirez, who will be playing Gaia and Melitta respectively. Gaia is a friend of Lucretia and Melitta is a slave who will be getting very friendly with a gladiator. At least that is my assumption. Best of all the real Spartacus, Andy Whitfield will occasionally make appearances, so I guess that justifies the show being named after him. Actually, best of all might be Jaime Murray.
