Spartacus Officially Revived At Starz With “What If” Scenario Involving An Original Character
Summary
The main cast forSpartacus: House of Ashurhas been announced, with eight new faces set to join original series star Nick Tarabay. Following a “What If” premise that offers a glimpse of what might have happened had Tarabay’s Ashur not been killed on Mount Vesuvius duringSpartacus: Vengeance, this new spinoff will instead see him as the master of his own gladiatorial Ludus. Starz originally greenlit the10-episodeSpartacusspinoff seriesin November 2023, with the original series creator and showrunner, Steven DeKnight, also set to return.
PerDeadline, Starz has revealedSpartacus: House of Ashur’s main cast lineup, consisting ofeight new characters who never appeared in the original series. While Tarabay will reprise his role of the scheming Ashur, now Dominus of the Ludus once owned by his former master Batiatus, he will also be joined by the likes of Graham McTavish (The Witcher), Tenika Davis (Jupiter’s Legacy), Jamaica Vaughan (Home and Away), Ivana Baquero (Pan’s Labyrinth), Jordi Webber (Choose Love), Claudia Black (The Nevers), India Shaw-Smith (The Pines Still Whisper) and Leigh Gill (Joker).
The New Spartacus: House of Ashur Characters Explained
The New Spinoff Will Continue The OG Show’s Exploration Of Roman Society
With theoriginalSpartacusseriesexploring every possible level of Roman society, from thelowliest slave to revered members of the Roman senate, this new spinoff seems set to follow suit with a wide assortment of new characters. McTavish, well known for his gruff and domineering roles, will assume the role of Ashur’s new Doctore, Korris. A former gladiator himself, his prowess in the arena earned him his freedom, and he now fulfills the role once held by Peter Mensah’s Oenomaus in training Ashur’s stable of fighters.
Other new gladiators set to join the show include Weber’s Tarchon, and Gill’s Satyrus, who is the leader of the Brothers Ferox, gladiators from a rival Ludus.The series will also introduce a female gladiator, Achillia, played by Davis. Meanwhile, Ashur’s household is also rounded out by the house slaves Hilara (Vaughan) and Messia (Baquero), who are engaged in a love-triangle with their master. Finally, Black is set to play the Roman politician intent on plotting Ashur’s downfall, Cossutia, while Shaw-Smith will play his daughter, Viridia.
Is Spartacus: House Of Ashur A Sequel, Reboot, Or Prequel?
The revival of Starz’s iconic sword-and-sandal epic series Spartacus: House of Ashur occupies a peculiar spot on the overall Spartacus timeline.
At this stage, it is not clear whether any other actors from the original show will return forSpartacus: The House of Ashur. However, given the spinoff’s premise, it is highly unlikely that Spartacus or any of his fellow slave conspirators would have survived execution following their capture. At the same time, it is entirely possible that Ashur may not have been the only character spared from death in the new spinoff, and there is still the potential for appearances from more familiar faces, such as Craig Parker’s Gaius Claudius Glaber.
Spartacus: House of Ashur
Cast
Spartacus: House of Ashur explores an alternate reality in the Spartacus saga, where Ashur survives Mount Vesuvius and gains control of Batiatus’s gladiator school. Allying with the Romans, Ashur seeks to quash the slave rebellion and cement his power.
