Spartacus: Gods of the Arena (TV Miniseries)

TV Miniseries (2011). 6 Episodes. Spartacus: Gods of the Arena is a Starz television mini-series and prequel to Spartacus: Blood and Sand, scheduled to premiere January 21, 2011.[1] The series follows the character Gannicus (Dustin Clare), the first gladiator to become Champion of Capua. Cast members and characters being reprised from the original series include Lucy Lawless as Lucretia, John Hannah as Batiatus, Peter Mensah as Oenomaus, and Manu Bennett as Crixus. Andy Whitfield will make a brief appearance as Spartacus. The opportunity to produce Gods of the Arena emerged when the second season of Blood and Sand was halted while Whitfield battled non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Steven S. DeKnight, the creator and executive producer of the series, expanded a single flashback episode into a six-part mini-series.