STARZ is getting back in the Spartacus business as news has emerged that the network will be creating a new Spartacus television series which will serve as a continuation of Spartacus: Vengeance.
Titled Spartacus: House of Ashur, Australian actor Nick E. Tarabay will be returning to play the character that fans loved to hate.
According to Deadline, the series will go the revisionist route and seek to answer the question, "What if Ashur hadn’t died on Mount Vesuvius at the end of Spartacus: Vengeance? And what if he had been gifted the gladiator school once owned by Batiatus [John Hannah] in return for aiding the Romans in killing Spartacus and ending the slave rebellion?"
Spartacus: House Of Ashur will consist of 10 episodes.
"To be afforded the opportunity to return a decade later to a series you loved is such a rare, wonderful opportunity,” said DeKnight via a press statement. “I could not be more excited to craft this next chapter in the Spartacus saga with STARZ, Lionsgate, and the incomparable Nick Tarabay.”
Fans of the franchise have reacted to the news of a revival in a mostly positive manner. However, some fans are split on the news that the show will essentially undo how Vengeance ended. It also raises the question that if Tarabay's Ashur survived, what other deceased cast members could return?
In a previously released press statement, Kathryn Busby, president of original programming for Starz added, "It has been over a decade since ‘Spartacus’ delighted international audiences and we are thrilled to reimagine and expand this gripping, action-packed drama for our viewers today. Spartacus’ has deeply invested fans who are eager for its return, and we look forward to working with Steven on this exciting next chapter."
House of Ashur will be the fifth Spartacus series following 2010's Spartacus: Blood and Sand, the 2011 prequel series Spartacus: Gods of the Arena, 2012's Spartacus: Vengeance and 2013's Spartacus: War of the Damned .
Over on X, formerly known as Twitter, DeKnight is busy celebrating the news of the franchise's return by interacting with fans and explaining the rationale behind the series.
In response to one fan who asked by the show didn't continue on from War of the Damned, with a storyline focused on Caesar, DeKnight explained, "Mainly because I wanted to tell a more intimate, less sprawling tale where the audience doesn’t already know the outcome."
While interacting with another fan, DeKnight stated that the show likely won't premiere until 2025. "Going to be a hot a minute. We just started the writers room a few weeks ago. My best guess is that this will take us next year to shoot and finish, so hopefully early 2025? But don't quote me on that. We just took the first step on a major journey, so many unknowns."
Based on DeKnight's Twitter feed, it's clear he's excited to return to the franchise and STARZ could certainly use a hit series after canceling Heels, Run the World, and Blindspotting.