Twelve years after its conclusion, the world of Starz’s beloved historical epic Spartacus is officially returning, and the first look at the sequel series, Spartacus: House of Ashur, has been revealed. In images released by Entertainment Weekly, fans get their first glimpse at the alternate-history continuation, which imagines a world where the treacherous villain Ashur survived the events of the original series. The photos showcase the return of Nick Tarabay as Ashur, now the master of the gladiator school he once served, alongside a host of new characters who will enter his bloody arena. The new series comes from original creator and showrunner Steven S. DeKnight, who is returning to the franchise to explore what happens when one of its most cunning villains gets everything he ever wanted.
The original Spartacus series, which ran for three seasons and a prequel miniseries from 2010 to 2013, was a cultural phenomenon for Starz. Known for its highly stylized, graphic violence, explicit content, and intricate political plotting, the show told the story of its title character, a Thracian gladiator who led a major slave rebellion against the Roman Republic. The series became a flagship property for the network, but its production was marked by real-world tragedy, making a return to the franchise an emotional prospect for its creator.
“The reason I kept saying no year after year was that the show was incredibly difficult to do,” DeKnight shared. “And then, of course, we lost our star to cancer, Andy Whitfield, which really took the wind out of everybody’s sails.” Whitfield, who led the first season, Spartacus: Blood and Sand, was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 2010. To allow him time for treatment, the production team created the prequel series, Spartacus: Gods of the Arena. After a period of remission, the cancer returned, and Whitfield passed away in 2011. The role of Spartacus was ultimately recast, with actor Liam McIntyre stepping in for the final two seasons, Vengeance and War of the Damned. DeKnight added, “I think I needed a decade to recuperate from the original experience, which was wonderful, but just grueling and emotionally gut-wrenching.”
Spartacus: House of Ashur picks up roughly six months after the finale of War of the Damned, which saw the slave rebellion crushed. The new show operates on a single, crucial premise: what if the villainous Ashur had not been killed by Naevia (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) during the events of Spartacus: Vengeance? In this new timeline, Ashur is rewarded by the Romans for his role in helping to end the war, and he is given ownership of the gladiator school formerly run by Batiatus.
“The only difference is Ashur didn’t die,” DeKinght stated. “Everybody else who died, I hate to tell the fans, they’re still dead. I don’t want anybody to think that we’re digging up Liam McIntyre, as much as I would love to. But the war is over. The rebellion has been crushed.”
Ashur’s Precarious Power and the Rise of the Gladiatrices
While Ashur may have achieved his dream of becoming a ludus owner and a man of influence, his new position is anything but secure. Spartacus: House of Ashur will explore the complex social dynamics of a former slave attempting to navigate the treacherous world of Roman politics, where he is simultaneously a celebrated hero and a distrusted outsider.
“On the one hand, he’s a hero of the Republic for helping quell the rebellion, but on the other hand, he’s an ex-slave, which they don’t care for,” DeKnight explained. “He’s an ex-gladiator, which they care less for. And he turned on his brothers. Nobody trusts him because he, obviously, can’t be trusted. So he’s in this odd position where he has everything he ever dreamed of and is discovering it’s really difficult to hang onto it.”
“He is Ashur,” DeKnight said, underlining the spinoff won’t turn its protagonist into a hero. “He’s the same guy, but in this position he’s in now, he has to maneuver in a different way. Is he a good guy now? No, he’s Ashur. He’s scheming, murderous Ashur, but the best way to get an audience behind a character like that is roll out the people who are worse. The Romans, the elites are much worse than he is. So really there’s a bit of Carlito’s Way in there. He’s trying to be a better person, but the society around him just won’t allow that. So he’s got to maneuver in scheme and murder to try to keep climbing that social ladder.”
The first-look images also introduce the new cast members joining Ashur, including Dan Hamill as Celadus, Evander Brown as Ephesius, Graham McTavish as Korris, Jordi Webber as Tarchon, and Tenika Davis as Achillia. The introduction of Achillia is particularly significant, as she is a female gladiator, or gladiatrice, a type of fighter Ashur introduces to Rome a century ahead of schedule in this alternate timeline.
“We wanted to bring in the female gladiators, but historically they didn’t appear in ancient Rome until about 100 years later,” DeKnight revealed. “This time around, Ashur upsets history and introduces the female gladiator 100 years early. She’s just as driven, just as dangerous as the men. One of the things we wanted to do on this show is, of course, have all those great staples of the original — the sex, the intrigue, the violence, the complicated twists and turns — but also offering something new. One of those main pillars were the gladiatrices.”
Spartacus: House of Ashur premieres on Starz this Fall.
What are you most excited to see in Spartacus: House of Ashur? Let us know in the comments.
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