Spartacus Is Back and He’s Even More Brutal This Time

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Prepare yourselves for our return to Sparta! Starz and Lionsgate Television are releasing the initial teaser trailer for the upcoming addition to the Spartacus series, titled “Spartacus: House of Ashur“. This exciting new installment is set to air this fall. Intriguingly, they’ve decided to reimagine the storyline in a unique way, resurrecting the character of Ashur, portrayed by Nick Tarabay, and placing him in a position of authority within the world of gladiators that fans have grown fond of.

According to the synopsis:

The series titled “Spartacus: House of Ashur” promises to be an exhilarating, sensual, suspenseful ride, continuing the success of its predecessor. By asking the intriguing question: “What if Ashur had not perished on Mount Vesuvius at the end of Spartacus: Vengeance?”, and exploring what might have happened if he was granted the gladiator school previously owned by Batiatus in exchange for aiding Romans in terminating Spartacus and ending the slave rebellion.

Actor Nick Tarabay is set to return to his iconic character Ashur in what’s being referred to as an “epic new storyline” that promises to reinvent events and twists from the beloved original series, titled Outlander. Graham McTavish will join the cast as Korris, Ashur’s trusted aide, with Tenika Davis portraying Achillia, a powerful gladiatrix, and Steven S. DeKnight returning as executive producer and showrunner after his work on Daredevil.

‘Spartacus’ Has A Long And Bloody Television History Already

Despite having minimal storyline and conversation, the trailer offers fleeting insights into the brutal realm of gladiator combat, which appears to be popular among viewers these days (or so it seems, given the production team’s bet). Following the release of Gladiator II just a few months ago, there was a period where conversations revolved around the Roman Empire. It seems that the violent yet homoerotic setting of mortal combat is resonating with some people’s tastes today. Consequently, it isn’t too unexpected to observe the network exploiting this potential overlap by reviving their prior intellectual property. Whether audiences are saturated with images of muscular, bloodied men in sandals remains to be seen. This is not the first time the network has revisited a world that they have since turned into a franchise. Spartacus: Blood and Sand premiered on STARZ in 2010 and was soon followed by a prequel series, Spartacus: Gods of the Arena, in 2011. Two subsequent series — Spartacus: Vengeance (2012) and Spartacus: War of the Damned (2013) — followed shortly thereafter. Steven S. DeKnight, the creator, writer, and executive producer of Spartacus, returns to his role as showrunner and executive producer on this new series, with Rick Jacobson and Aaron Helbing also serving as executive producers.

Regarding our main character, portrayed by Nick Tarabay, Ashur was often seen as a secondary villain or antagonist in “Spartacus: Blood and Sand” and “Spartacus: Vengeance”. Originally a gladiator and slave of the Batiatus household, the upcoming series promises to present Ashur from a fresh perspective. However, it’s likely that we won’t see too dramatic a change given the audience’s fondness for complex anti-heroes.

Spartacus: House of Ashur will be released sometime in Fall 2025 on STARZ.

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2025-01-15 22:32