Starz Gives Second Season Order To Spartacus Series

There’s good news for fans of Spartacus: Blood and Sand! Starz announced today that the series has been picked up for a second season. Ok, if you’re among the people anticipating this new show, you’re probably wondering if they missed the premiere and to that, the answer is no. The first season won’t premiere until January 2010 but apparently, the pay-cable network is so confident that the it will be a success that they’re already moving forward on season two, tentatively titled Spartacus: Vengeance.

Vengeance! Oooh, sounds good already. Who doesn’t love a little vengeance in a TV show? The Blood and Sand portion of the series premieres January 22nd (10:00 p.m. ET/PT), so it’s likely that people aren’t going to be jumping for joy over the second-season pickup just yet. All the same, the network’s confidence in the show will make it easier for those of us who do plan to tune in to get comfortably invested in it, knowing that there’s definitely a second season in the works.

Below is some information on the series.

“Spartacus: Blood and Sand features Australian newcomer Andy Whitfield as the title character, a Thracian fighting to return to his wife after being sold into slavery at a gladiatorial school. He is joined by Lucy Lawless (Xena: Warrior Princess, Battlestar: Galactica) as the deceptive Lucretia, John Hannah (The Mummy movies) as her power-hungry husband Batiatus, Peter Mensah (300) as the head of the gladiatorial school, Doctore, along with a cast of familiar as well as fresh faces.

The series is shot utilizing virtual environments in the graphic novel style of such successful features as 300 and Sin City. The process gives the show a fresh narrative approach and a hyper-realistic look that is unlike anything yet seen on TV. It’s an entirely new vision of the ancient legend.

Debuting exclusively on Starz, Spartacus: Blood and Sand is produced by Starz Media with Executive Producers Rob Tapert (The Grudge, Xena: Warrior Princess and Hercules: The Legendary Journeys), Sam Raimi (Spider-Man and The Evil Dead), Joshua Donen (The Quick and the Dead) and Steven S. DeKnight (Buffy the Vampire Slayer).”