Spartacus: Blood and Sand

[Ginaz]

Does anyone know if/when the 1st season will be out on DVD?  And from what I read, Lucy Lawless' character may not be dead afterall.  One of the people involved in making the show indicated as much by saying something to the effect "you can see her twitching".  I sure hope she's back for season 2.

[Segoris]

According to IMDB, 9/21/10. Also, listed as $40-50USD on Amazon (depending on DVD or Blue-Ray) with the same release date posted.

Also, I don't know how I'd feel if Lucretia was still alive for season 2. The writers have surprised me enough already and I'd trust them to make it good. Otherwise, I don't think it would be that great initially. Though, if she's alive and Ilythia finds her and gets to have her way with her, I'd support it

[Cyrrex]

Though, if she's alive and Ilythia finds her and gets to have her way with her, I'd support it

If by "have her way" you mean a good bit of scissoring, then I completely agree.

[Samwise]

I'm definitely buying the DVD, despite having access to it on Netflix Instant already, just because I want to financially support the people who made this show.

If the DVD has an option for Latin subtitles, I will buy two.  If it has a Latin audio track, four.

[Teleku]

I'd be pretty upset if Lucretia was still alive.  It would be a retarded cop out.  There's no way they'd leave that place without making sure she was dead, not to mention it would break realism if she came back from that kind of wound.

[Jherad]

Were the majority of the 18-49s male or female? I'm sort of guessing male.

My wife LOVES Spartacus, and is constantly asking me if I know when the next season is starting. It sort of has its benefits after she watches an episode, so I'm hopeful. 

Very popular with her female work colleagues also - I suspect there is quite a strong middle-aged female audience.

[Threash]

Were the majority of the 18-49s male or female? I'm sort of guessing male.

My wife LOVES Spartacus, and is constantly asking me if I know when the next season is starting. It sort of has its benefits after she watches an episode, so I'm hopeful. 

Very popular with her female work colleagues also - I suspect there is quite a strong middle-aged female audience.

I've seen teasers for the prequel episodes while watching Pillars of the Earth, apparently they are coming sometime in 2011.

[Segoris]

Yeah, the prequel is due in January 2011.

[Riggswolfe]

Bad news:

It appears the cancer has come back and Season 2 is basically pushed back again, if not cancelled outright. Honestly, if it's come back so soon that sounds worrying to me in general for this actor.

[Ironwood]

Fuck sake.
 

[HaemishM]

Damnit. 

[Musashi]

News I read said he bowed out of season 2 to more aggressively fight the cancer.  So basically, the show is done.  I don't know what else they could do aside from recasting Spartacus, which I think would be a mistake.  I hope the just put it on hold until he comes out of it, even if it takes several years.  I'd be happy to wait.

[Ironwood]

Don't be daft.

Recast it.

[waffel]

 

Fuckin cancer, this is why we can't have nice things.

[JWIV]

Fuck.  Damn it.

[Ginaz]

When cancer comes back this quickly, the end result usually isn't very good.  I hope thats not the case here.  Either way, he won't be coming back to the show.  They either need to end it or recast it.  Recasting might work if they find the right guy but its tough for a tv show to recover when they've replaced the main character.  Fortunately, it has a very strong cast and that could soften the blow of having someone else playing Spartacus.

On a side note, I can't wait for the 1st season to come out on video Tuesday.

[Cyrrex]

FUCK!!

Mixed feelings.  I think the show is strong enough to survive a recast, but damn...I really liked that guy in that role.

[Cyrrex]

And now it's official:

http://omg.yahoo.com/news/spartacus-star-andy-whitfield-leaves-show-after-cancer-recurrence/47423?nc

 

[Segoris]

Sucks about the show, but more importantly I wish the best of luck to him

I do hope they recast though, it's strong enough to live through a recast with how good of a support cast and writing staff they have.

[Mrbloodworth]

Sad news all around.

[tgr]

Agreed, sad news all around.

One thing they could possibly do is do what was talked about previously, do a prequel or two and really explore how batiatus got where he's at, and hope that Andy defeats the cancer in time to still continue on from where he left off. I'm not really sure if it's feasible, but I'm going to hope for the best both for Andy and the show.

[shiznitz]

Screw a Batiatus pre-quel. This show is about gladiators.  Recast it and continue on or close it up.  It really cannot be that hard to find a new actor.

[Draegan]

 

I'd say rename the show "Blood and Sand" and just create a story about fucking and killing.  As long as it is the same writers, I'm game for whatever storyline they throw at me.

[Musashi]

I don't think they should recast it.  It won't be the same.  It will leave a bad taste in people's mouths like they accidentally got served diet coke.  Suspension of disbelief is really important in shows like this, and recasting the main actor pretty much destroys that.  It does for me at least.  I know.  Doctor Who.  Exception, not rule.

It's not like there's a shortage of ancient Mediterranean stories which involve sex and violence that could be turned into a series.  You can probably think of half a dozen off the top of your head.  They should just do something else, and use some of the same actors if not all of them.  That way, if when Whitfield does recover in a few years, they can make sure that all the principal actors are available.

I'd really like to see something about the Second Punic with Hannibal.  Maybe told from the Carthaginian perspective.  If you just want backstabbing and T&A, there are several Roman periods of unprecedented debauchery.  I'd also be happy to see something about really early Roman development - by early I mean like 500bc.

[Arthur_Parker]

I'm sorry for the news and wish the best to the actor and his family.  

The tv series is obviously a much less important subject, but from a tv point of view, the audience will understand whatever they do.   However, they made a big deal out of him not actually being Spartacus and eventually and reluctantly accepting the name.  No reason they can't do a very similar first series all over again, with a few cast carried over, yet different enough to remain interesting with another Spartacus.

[HaemishM]

I hate to think of them recasting it, because I really thought Whitfield grew into the role just as the writers grew into the story. But there's nothing to say that they couldn't continue the story WITHOUT recasting the role. I keep thinking of that "I'm Spartacus, I'm Spartacus, NO, I'm Spartacus!" scene from the Kubrick movie. They could set the series a year or so after the slave revolt began, with the remaining gladiators kind of keeping the fact that Spartacus really is dead a secret. Let the legend grow but the reality is the guy was whacked in one of the early battles and the main gladiators figured out that he was more powerful as a legend than a fallible man.

[Velorath]

Between Whitfield's cancer, the talk of bringing Lucretia back somehow for Season 2 (indicating that the writing might have been going downhill for Season 2 anyway), and the fact that they'd have to come up with almost a completely new supporting cast since most of Season 1's cast was killed off, at this point I'd rather not see them do a second season.  Like others have said, get the writers and the cast back together to do a similar project.  Really, more than anything else I just feel for Whitfield and hope he recovers regardless of whether or not he will ever do Spartacus again.

[Samwise]

Between Whitfield's cancer, the talk of bringing Lucretia back somehow for Season 2 (indicating that the writing might have been going downhill for Season 2 anyway), and the fact that they'd have to come up with almost a completely new supporting cast since most of Season 1's cast was killed off, at this point I'd rather not see them do a second season.  Like others have said, get the writers and the cast back together to do a similar project.  Really, more than anything else I just feel for Whitfield and hope he recovers regardless of whether or not he will ever do Spartacus again.

+1.

[Numtini]

Wow, that doesn't sound good for Whitfield. That's just awful.

If he can't come back, as much as I'd like to see more of the show, I think it ended up a fantastic peak. I'd be very happy to see Kill Them All as the conclusion.

[Furiously]

I'm not seeing it on Netflix anymore.

[Numtini]

I'm not seeing it on Netflix anymore.

It was part of "starz play" and they scroll off eventually. It will probably be back after the DVDs have had a chance to sell for a while.

[Riggswolfe]

I hate to think of them recasting it, because I really thought Whitfield grew into the role just as the writers grew into the story. But there's nothing to say that they couldn't continue the story WITHOUT recasting the role. I keep thinking of that "I'm Spartacus, I'm Spartacus, NO, I'm Spartacus!" scene from the Kubrick movie. They could set the series a year or so after the slave revolt began, with the remaining gladiators kind of keeping the fact that Spartacus really is dead a secret. Let the legend grow but the reality is the guy was whacked in one of the early battles and the main gladiators figured out that he was more powerful as a legend than a fallible man.

This would be one of the few ways they could do a season 2 IMO. It would suck in some ways and a worse problem would be that it'd leave a gaping hole in the cast anyway. Personally, I think a prequel is the best idea or hell a spin-off focusing on Ilythia and her hubby. They were fascinating to me.

[Paelos]

Fuck you, Cancer. You ruin everything.

[Threash]

recast it is...

[Evildrider]

I'm glad, the show was too good to die!