Spartacus Prequel To Premiere In January 2011

Starz announced today that production on the yet to be titled Spartacus: Blood and Sand prequel is set to begin this summer in New Zealand. Their goal is to premiere it in January 2011.

As Spartacus’ star Andy Whitfield was recently diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, he’ll only be in the six-part prequel briefly, while Lucy Lawless and John Hannah will step into the starring roles as the story digs into the rise of the House of Batiatus and its champions prior to Spartacus’ arrival. Hannah plays Batiatus and Lawless plays his wife, Lucretia. Also set to return are Peter Mensah (Doctore), Manu Bennett (Crixus), Antonio Te Maioha (Barca), Nick E. Tarabay (Ashur), Lesley-Ann Brandt (Naevia). There will also be some new characters added, including a gladiator who was the big cheese before Spartacus showed up.

As for Whitfield’s status, as far as his treatment goes, according to Starz, his doctors say he’s responding well.