''Spartacus: Gods of the Arena'' is a television

miniseries A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. "Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used interchangeably. , the popularity of miniseries format h ...

broadcast by American cable TV

Starz Starz (stylized as STARZ since 2016; pronounced "stars") is an American premium cable and satellite television network owned by Lions Gate Entertainment, and is the flagship property of parent subsidiary Starz Inc. Programming on Starz consist ...

, as a

prequel A prequel is a literary, dramatic or cinematic work whose story precedes that of a previous work, by focusing on events that occur before the original narrative. A prequel is a work that forms part of a backstory to the preceding work. The term " ...

to '' Spartacus'', which premiered January 21, 2011. The series follows the character Gannicus (

Dustin Clare Dustin Clare is an Australian actor. He is known for his starring role as Gannicus in the Starz series '' Spartacus: Gods of the Arena'', '' Spartacus: Vengeance'' and '' Spartacus: War of the Damned'', and as Riley Ward on the series ''McLeo ...

), the first

gladiator A gladiator ( la, gladiator, "swordsman", from , "sword") was an armed combatant who entertained audiences in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire in violent confrontations with other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned criminals. Some gla ...

representing Lentulus Batiatus to become Champion of Capua. Cast members and characters reprised from the original series include John Hannah as Batiatus, Lucy Lawless as Lucretia,

Peter Mensah Peter Mensah (born 27 August 1959) is a Ghanaian English actor, best known for his roles in the films '' Tears of the Sun'', '' Hidalgo'', '' The Incredible Hulk'', ''300'', and television series such as Starz' '' Spartacus: Blood and Sand'', '' ...

Oenomaus In Greek mythology, King Oenomaus (also Oenamaus; grc-gre, Οἰνόμαος, ''Oἱnómaos'') of Pisa, was the father of Hippodamia and the son of Ares. His name ''Oinomaos'' denotes a wine man. Family Oenomaeus' mother was either naiad Har ...

, Nick E. Tarabay as Ashur, Lesley-Ann Brandt as Naevia, Antonio Te Maioha as Barca, and Manu Bennett as

Crixus Crixus was a Gallic gladiator and military leader in the Third Servile War between the Roman Republic and rebel slaves. Born in Gaul, he was enslaved by the Romans under unknown circumstances and trained as a gladiator in Capua. His name means " ...

. The miniseries aired in Canada on Movie Central and The Movie Network, on

Sky1 Sky One was a British pay television channel operated and owned by Sky Group (a division of Comcast). Originally launched on 26 April 1982 as Satellite Television, it was Europe's first satellite and non-terrestrial channel. From 31 July 1989, ...

in the United Kingdom and on FX in Latin America.

Cast

Slaves *

as Gannicus – a

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language * Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Fo ...

gladiator who is the champion of the Batiatus' ''ludus''. *

/Doctore – a Numidian gladiator who later becomes the ''doctore'' of Batiatus' gladiators. * Marisa Ramirez as Melitta – Lucretia's body slave, the wife of Oenomaus. * Manu Bennett as

– a new Gallic gladiatorial recruit. * Nick E. Tarabay as Ashur – a new

Syrian Syrians ( ar, سُورِيُّون, ''Sūriyyīn'') are an Eastern Mediterranean ethnic group indigenous to the Levant. They share common Levantine Semitic roots. The cultural and linguistic heritage of the Syrian people is a blend of both indi ...

gladiatorial recruit. *

Shane Rangi Shane Rangi (born 3 February 1969) is a New Zealand actor from Ngati Porou. Rangi has played many characters in ''The Chronicles of Narnia'' film series. In '' The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe'' he played General Otmin, general of the Wh ...

as Dagan – a gladiatorial recruit who speaks only Aramaic, and fellow Syrian to Ashur. * Antonio Te Maioha as Barca – a

Carthaginian The term Carthaginian ( la, Carthaginiensis ) usually refers to a citizen of Ancient Carthage. It can also refer to: * Carthaginian (ship), a three-masted schooner built in 1921 * Insurgent privateers; nineteenth-century South American privateers, ...

gladiator. * Josef Brown as Auctus – a gladiator and Barca's lover. * Temuera Morrison as Ulpius/Doctore – Oenomaus' predecessor as the trainer of Batiatus' gladiators. * Lesley-Ann Brandt as Naevia – a young house-slave. * Jessica Grace Smith as Diona – a house-slave and Naevia's friend who loses her virginity at the whim of Cossutius. Romans * John Hannah as Quintus Lentulus Batiatus – a ''lanista'' * Lucy Lawless as Lucretia – Batiatus' wife. * Jaime Murray as Gaia – a social climber and Lucretia's friend. * Craig Walsh Wrightson as Marcus Decius Solonius – Batiatus' close friend who has aspirations of becoming a lanista himself. * Jeffrey Thomas as Titus Lentulus Batiatus – Quintus Batiatus' father and the '' pater familias'' of the House of Batiatus. *

Stephen Lovatt Stephen Lovatt (born 27 May 1964) is a New Zealand actor, best known internationally for his portrayal of character Max Hoyland on the Australian soap '' Neighbours''. Career Since training as an actor at Toi Whakaari, the New Zealand Drama Sc ...

as Tullius – Batiatus' brutal business rival and enemy. * Gareth Williams as Vettius – owner of a rival ''ludus'' and enemy of Batiatus.

Episodes

Production

The opportunity to produce ''Gods of the Arena'' emerged when the second season of '' Spartacus'' was halted while lead actor Andy Whitfield battled non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Series creator and

executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the making of a commercial entertainment product. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights o ...

Steven S. DeKnight Steven S. DeKnight (born October 28, 1965) is an American filmmaker. He is best known for being the creator, head writer, and executive producer of the Starz series ''Spartacus'', including '' Spartacus: Blood and Sand'', '' Spartacus: Gods of th ...

expanded a single flashback episode for the second season into a six-part mini-series. Production for ''Gods of the Arena'' began in New Zealand in August 2010.

References

External links

* * {{Saturn Award for Best Television DVD Release 2010s American drama television miniseries 2011 American television series debuts 2011 American television series endings 2011 American television seasons American prequel television series Gladiatorial combat in fiction Spartacus (TV series) Starz original programming Television dramas set in ancient Rome Television series created by Sam Raimi Television series set in the 1st century BC