Andy Whitefield as Spartacus in 'Spartacus: Blood and Sand'

Australian Andy Whitfield (Gabriel / McLeods Daughters) plays Spartacus in Starz’s highly anticipated new series Spartacus: Blood and Sand. Spartacus is a soldier in the Roman Auxiliary who is taken prisoner and sentenced to fight as a Gladiator for defying a Roman Legate.  After multiple wins as a Gladiator, Spartacus is sold into slavery where he must fight for survival, befriend his enemies and play politics in a world of corruption, violence, sex and fame.

Watch the latest short teaser trailer after the jump.

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'Spartacus: Blood and Sand' San Diego Comic-Con panel

Want to know what came out of the San Diego Comic-Con related to the upcoming Spartacus: Blood and Sand?

Panel attendees included Erin Cummings (Dollhouse) who plays Spartacus’ wife Sura, Peter Mensah (300, Avatar) who plays Doctore, executive producer Steven S. DeKnight, executive producer Rob Tapert, and Lucy Lawless (Xena: Warrior Princess / Battlestar Galactica) who plays Lucretia.

Lead Australian actor Andy Whitfield (Gabriel / McLeods Daughters), who plays Spartacus, couldn’t attend the panel due to his filming schedule keeping him in New Zealand.  Instead he greeted the audience via video and introduced the premiere of the trailer.

You can watch the entire panel below (trailer included), but first here’s a summary of what we learn:

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Andy Whitfield as Spartacus in 'Spartacus: Blood and Sand'

Starz have released a behind the scenes featurette on their highly anticipated new series Spartacus: Blood and Sand.

The featurette includes snippets from the series, behind the scenes footage, and interviews with the cast and crew.

Read more about Spartacus: Blood and Sand and watch the awesome trailer here.

Visit the Spartacus: Blood and Sand official website.

Spartacus: Blood and Sand premieres on Starz January 21, 2010 at 10PM ET/PT.

A trailer has been unveiled at the San Diego Comic-Con for the new Starz cable television series Spartacus: Blood and Sand and it has blown me away.

Spartacus: Blood and Sand comes from Legend of the Seeker producers Sam Raimi and Rob Tabert.  When it was first announced it was said the series would be “rich in character, action, sex and combat” and that it would be Gladiator for TV using Zack Snyder 300 style virtual environments.  Judging by the trailer they’ve pulled it off.

In Spartacus: Blood and Sand Australian Andy Whitfield (Gabriel / McLeods Daughters) plays the lead role as Spartacus, a soldier in the Roman Auxiliary who is taken prisoner and sentenced to fight as a Gladiator for defying a Roman Legate.  After multiple wins as a Gladiator, Spartacus is sold into slavery where he must fight for survival, befriend his enemies and play politics in a world of corruption, violence, sex and fame.  In the trailer Whitfield looks exceptional in the role.

Watch the trailer now:

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A scene from the season one finale of 'Legend of the Seeker'

Actor/Writer/Director Michael Hurst has announced on his website that he will be directing a number of episodes in the upcoming second season of Legend of the Seeker beginning with the second episode.

This is good news for Legend of the Seeker fans since Hurst is the man responsible for some of the best episodes of season one including episode 8 ‘Denna’ and the season finale ‘Reckoning’.

His first episode of Legend of the Seeker season two will commence filming July 21st.

Hurst also confirms that he will be directing two episodes of the new fantasy series from producers Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert titled Spartacus: Blood and Sand.  He will direct the fifth episode of the first season and another unnamed episode later in the season.

Spartacus: Blood and Sand follows a soldier in the Roman Auxiliary (Australian actor Andy Whitfield) who is taken prisoner and sentenced to fight as a Gladiator for defying a Roman Legate.  After multiple wins as a Gladiator, Spartacus is sold into slavery.  The new series is said use Zack Snyder 300 style virtual environments to recreate the Roman Republic.

Spartacus: Blood and Sand will be shown on the Starz premium cable channel in the US beginning January 2010.

I am advised an official press release about Legend of the Seeker season two will be released in the next few days.

Lucy Lawless and Andy Whitfield to star in Spartacus: Blood and Sand

Lucy Lawless (Xena: Warrior Princess / Battlestar Galactica) will join Andy Whitfield in the new live-action fantasy series Spartacus: Blood and Sand from Legend of the Seeker producers Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert.

Australian Andy Whitfield (Gabriel / McLeods Daughters) has been cast in the lead role as Spartacus, a soldier in the Roman Auxiliary who is taken prisoner and sentenced to fight as a Gladiator for defying a Roman Legate.  After multiple wins as a Gladiator, Spartacus is sold into slavery. Lawless will play Lucretia, who with her husband Batiatus, owns the slave Spartacus.

Though the rest of the cast is comprised of relative newcomers it is nonetheless impressive.  Erin Cummings (Dollhouse) will play Spartacus’ wife Sura.  Peter Mensah (300, Avatar) is Doctore, Batiatus’ most loyal and trusted slave.  Manu Bennett (30 Days of Night, The Condemned) takes on the role of Crixus – the top Gladiator. Antonio Te Maioha (Xena: Warrior Princess, Legend of the Seeker) will play Barca, Batiatus’ bodyguard and hit man.  Craig Parker (The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Legend of the Seeker) plays Glaber who blames Spartacus for his failed military campaign, and Nick E. Tarabay (Crash, The Sopranos) will play Ashur, a former gladiator who is now the Gladiator bookie.

It is reported that the show will use Zack Snyder 300 style virtual environments to recreate the Roman Republic.

The series will be produced by premium cable network Starz and promises “a new set of stories rich in character, action, sex and combat.”   Production commences April 1.

It is expected to air on Starz in January 2010.

Source: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Movieweb