Anchor Bay Entertainment has finally revealed the full details for the upcoming Blu-ray and DVD release of Spartacus: Gods of the Arena, and it looks to be following in the footsteps of its precursor series, Blood and Sand, with plenty of cool bonus features. In fact, for all you early adopters out there, the Blu-ray Gods of the Arena set will include a 3D bonus feature looking at one of the battle sequences. That's right, 3D: the technology that never asks "Should we?" but only "Can we?"
Fortunately, those of us without a 3D setup or the genetic predisposition to give a shit about 3D will still find plenty of content to keep us entertained. Here's the rundown:
Blu-ray and DVD bonus features include:
- STARZ Studios: GODS OF THE ARENA
- Weapons of Mass Disruption
- Battle Royale: Anatomy of a Scene
- On Set With Lucy Lawless
- 10 Easy Steps to Dismemberment
- Post Production: The Final Execution
- Enter the Arena: Production Design
- Dressed to Kill
- Convention Panel
- Arena Bloopers
Exclusive Blu-ray bonus features include
- 3D "Ring of Fire" Battle Sequence
- Extended Episodes
- Audio Commentaries on All Episodes (including: Writer/Creator/Executive Producer Steven S. DeKnight, Executive Producer Rob Tapert and actors John Hannah, Lucy Lawless, Dustin Clare, Jaime Murray, Peter Mensah -- and more)
I'm particularly glad to see they're including multiple audio commentaries, as they were one of the highlights of the Blood and Sand set (worth a purchase for the "ladle story" alone). You'll be able to grab a Blu-ray copy of the set for $49.99 or the DVD for $39.98. That might seem steep for a six-episode series, but the quality and the bonus features make it more worthwhile. (Plus, you can preorder both versions on Amazon (opens in new tab) right now for half the list price.)
Spartacus: Gods of the Arena serves as a prequel to Blood and Sand, taking a look at the gladiatorial school of Batiatus in the months leading up to the catalytic arrival of Spartacus. Fans of B&S will find plenty to love here: more betrayal, more intrigue, and lots more decapitations. Even better, more of two of the best parts of Blood and Sand: John Hannah as Batiatus and Lucy Lawless as his duplicitous wife, Lucretia. With a new season of Spartacus coming our way in 2012, this is the perfect time to check out Gods of the Arena if you haven't already.
