She may not wear the trademark leather, but she is going back to ancient Rome in the news series “Spartacus: Blood and Sand.” Lucy Lawless has signed on to star as Lucretia half owner of the former Roman soldier turned gladiator. The announcement of Lawless joining the cast comes as the producer announced that Andy Whitfield (“MacLeod’s Daughters”) will play the title role.
Joining Lawless and Whitfield are Erin Cummings (“Dollhouse”, “Bitch Slap”), Craig Parker (“Legend of the Seeke”, “Lord of the Rings”, “Xena”), Peter Mensah (“300″), Manu Benett (“30 Days of Night”, “Xena”), Antonio Te Maioha (“Xena”, “Hercules”) and Nick Tarabay (“Crash”).
The series will be filmed in New Zealand and will rely heavially on a virtual world first used in the movie “300.” The series is set for a January 2010 premiere on the Starz cable network and will be hard hitting show with fierce action and sex.
The series is produced by Robert Tapert, Sam Raimi, Steven S. DeKnight (“Dollhouse”).
