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[velvet_nitemare]

Muthafuckin H.B.K in the house...Gannicus!!!

 

[krypt0nian]

Holding out hope for Lugo/Nemetes fuck scenes...

Jupiter's cock!

 

[Cornballer]

- Variety review

At the beginning, "Spartacus" felt like a weak "300" knockoff -- Starz's attempt to exploit a presold name, albeit one associated with a classic 1960 movie -- to peddle buckets of blood and bare flesh, two surefire ingredients to attract males to pay cable. Yet as the program comes to an end with this final season, subtitled "War of the Damned," it's hard not to admire its improved quality and heightened sense of purpose. Heck, it even has educational value, causing viewers to wonder things like, "Wow, does a human head really contain that much blood?"

- Wired interview: The Women of Spartacus: War of the Damned

 

[Weenerz]

I can't wait, it has been so long.

 

[Drazgul]

Nasir's face in the promo picture lol.

Yeah, what kind of warface is that? Poor show, Nasir.

 

[bone_and_sinew]

Still mad Conan Stevens stopped being The Mountain and got killed on this show in like 2 episodes.

Although it was probably the best gore scene on the show by far.

 

[sweetvar26]

Miss this guy

 

[Drazgul]

Still mad Conan Stevens stopped being The Mountain and got killed on this show in like 2 episodes.

Although it was probably the best gore scene on the show by far.

Well it's not like he left for Spartacus, that was just a quick job before doing The Hobbit. It's a shame in any case, the new guy isn't nearly as menacing as Stevens was.

 

[Kabuki Waq]

they still havent been able to fill the void left by Batiatus. Fuck the man deserved his own show.

Last season was a serious dip in quality.

 

[Thug Waffle]

Miss this guy

No doubt. I felt he portrayed more intense emotions than the guy who took his place and it made even the earlier season of the show more believable, at least from his perspective.

This show's awesome, though. Can't wait for Friday.

 

[Figboy79]

Wow, forgot all about Spartacus! Excited that this is coming back, but I probably won't check it out until a handful of episodes are already aired. I don't have cable, so I have to watch them on the internet. I used to watch them on Netflix, but thanks to Starz, I can't!

Liam is no Andy, but he's still really good in the role, and does Andy's Spartacus honor in my opinion.

 

[Enosh]

I'm really curious about that episode given (warning: major spoilers)

Spoiler

how the real Spartacus story ends. I don't see how they could possibly end the series on a high note if they're going to adhere to historical records. As far as I know Crixus's army is defeated. And Spartacus gets cornered before surrendering and then getting killed. How the hell they're going to portray that as a Victory is something I'm interested in seeing. Then again they're going to have to go for the crowd-pleasing "Spartacus destroys everyone" ending; but the question is how? The true ending of the story is that Spartacus loses.

It'll be interesting to watch. That's for sure.

Spoiler

no one said anything about a spartacus victory ^^

can't wait for NuNaevia to get killed

 

[TheJollyCorner]

Miss this guy

he carried the show (well, a large part of it. John Hannah and Lucy Lawless were phenomenal).

Season 2 was entertaining, but the emotional pull of the first season was practically gone for me. I basically watched to see Ashur and Lucrecia chew scenery, but now both of them are gone.

Will watch for Gannicus & Crixus, as Nu-Spartacus just doesn't have the heart.

 

[Cornballer]

For anyone that's interested:

- Machinima.com is live streaming the red carpet show from the premiere this evening.

Don’t miss @Machinima’s live stream of the Spartacus: War of the Damned red carpet premiere on Tuesday at 6:30 PT, right here on the Spartacus Facebook wall.

 

[Cornballer]

- Flickcast Interview: Liam McIntyre Talks ‘Spartacus: War of the Damned’

 

[orientalNoodle]

How come people back then have such cool names? Gannicus, Spartacus, Crixus...

 

[Inversive]

Hmm I wonder why they didn't cast Pompey, it was he who crushed the rebellion after all. Looking forward to this anyhow, RIP Andy!

 

[Joni]

I'm really curious about that episode given (warning: major spoilers)

Spoiler

how the real Spartacus story ends. I don't see how they could possibly end the series on a high note if they're going to adhere to historical records. As far as I know Crixus's army is defeated. And Spartacus gets cornered before surrendering and then getting killed. How the hell they're going to portray that as a Victory is something I'm interested in seeing. Then again they're going to have to go for the crowd-pleasing "Spartacus destroys everyone" ending; but the question is how? The true ending of the story is that Spartacus loses.

It'll be interesting to watch. That's for sure.

Historical spoilers can give them an out.

Spoiler

On the battle, Spartacus was killed, but his body was never found.

Or they could just reuse the iconic scene from the movie. Bittersweet ending.

 

[Cornballer]

- EW.com: Sneak peek clip from the season premiere (same one that's listed in the OP)
- Men's Fitness: Behind the scenes workout vids with the cast

 

[Cornballer]

- One more sneak peek clip from the premiere (please spoiler tag any discussion, youtube)

 

[Cornballer]

- The stream from the red carpet premiere has started over on machinima live

 

[Admiral Bone to Pick]

How come people back then have such cool names? Gannicus, Spartacus, Crixus...

Latin male names commonly ended in -us to be properly declined in the masculine. Also because they sound cool.

 

[Cornballer]

- Cinema Blend: Spartacus Creator Steven S. DeKnight And Stars Talk War Of The Damned (Part 1)
- Cinema Blend: Spartacus Creator Steven S. DeKnight And Stars Talk War Of The Damned (Part 2)

Spartacus: War of the Damned premieres this Friday, marking the start of the final season of the popular Starz historical-fantasy drama series. Creator Steven S. DeKnight and stars Liam McIntyre (Spartacus), Todd Lasance (Caesar) and Cynthia Addai-Robinson were kind enough to speak to the press on a conference call to talk to us about the final season. Check out the lengthy but entertaining and informative conversation ahead.

Among the topics of discussion, Caesar's role in the series, Agron's relationship with Nasir (and why DeKnight accidentally refers to Agron as Nagron), what Spartacus is like this season and who Liam McIntyre thinks is his character's moral compass (his answer might surprise you!). On the subject of spoilers, there are some plot and character topics discussed and there is some vague but hinty talk about how the show will end, so read on with that in mind. It's a pretty lengthy conversation, so we have the second part set to post separately.

 

[Clevinger]

- Cinema Blend: Spartacus Creator Steven S. DeKnight And Stars Talk War Of The Damned (Part 1)
- Cinema Blend: Spartacus Creator Steven S. DeKnight And Stars Talk War Of The Damned (Part 2)

DeKnight's version of Caesar should be interesting, whether it's good or bad.

 

[Sober]

he carried the show (well, a large part of it. John Hannah and Lucy Lawless were phenomenal).

Season 2 was entertaining, but the emotional pull of the first season was practically gone for me. I basically watched to see Ashur and Lucrecia chew scenery, but now both of them are gone.

Will watch for Gannicus & Crixus, as Nu-Spartacus just doesn't have the heart.

Yeah, there weren't really many Spartacus moments in Vengeance, but that's probably because he was written more as a leader who has found what he needed and most of his scenes are very declarative and I don't remember him doing much contemplating other than some character deaths. His arc was more about reigning in the slaves and focusing them against Rome. At least we had Andy in B&S do most of the great character moments about Spartacus discovering who and what is and stuff, though I sometimes wonder what Vengeance would've been if it was still Andy as Spartacus (or with old-Naevia, I wondered if they could've transformed her into a crazy fighter lady or not)

Either way, still super hyped. Hoping they have a better idea of how to write Liam's version of Spartacus.

 

[Karak]

he carried the show (well, a large part of it. John Hannah and Lucy Lawless were phenomenal).

Season 2 was entertaining, but the emotional pull of the first season was practically gone for me. I basically watched to see Ashur and Lucrecia chew scenery, but now both of them are gone.

Will watch for Gannicus & Crixus, as Nu-Spartacus just doesn't have the heart.

Agreed. I have no problem with the next guy and if he had started it out in the first season I would have probably been ok with it. But man...Andy was so get he got me super interested in checking out other stuff he did. Pretty rare for me.

The dude was just damn good.

 

[toastyToast]

Oh yes

Come on Ashur flashbacks

 

[ThreeSixty]

I think Liam did the best he could given the circumstances. Any replacement for Andy was always going to be perceived as lesser than him purely on the basis of how Andy left the show. I would have loved a Spartacus season 2 with Andy (becoming attached to the character via season 1) but I still think Liam did quite well.

Also I second the loss of Ashur. Loved that character. Flashbacks would be awesome.

 

[FootballFan]

Agreed. I have no problem with the next guy and if he had started it out in the first season I would have probably been ok with it. But man...Andy was so get he got me super interested in checking out other stuff he did. Pretty rare for me.

The dude was just damn good.

Andy-Spartacus + Gannicus on screen would have been so bad ass.

 

[Monocle]

I think Liam did the best he could given the circumstances. Any replacement for Andy was always going to be perceived as lesser than him purely on the basis of how Andy left the show. I would have loved a Spartacus season 2 with Andy (becoming attached to the character via season 1) but I still think Liam did quite well.

Also I second the loss of Ashur. Loved that character. Flashbacks would be awesome.

Honestly, this season should milk the hell out of flashbacks. Who cares if it's a cheap tactic to sidestep the consequences of character deaths? The departed cast could practically carry their own show. Oh wait, they did just that in season 1. But yeah, I want flashbacks and plenty of them.

 

[ThreeSixty]

Honestly, this season should milk the hell out of flashbacks. Who cares if it's a cheap tactic to sidestep the consequences of character deaths? The departed cast could practically carry their own show. Oh wait, they did just that in season 1. But yeah, I want flashbacks and plenty of them.

I think it would be a cool and graceful way of having since departed characters still be part of the show. Ashur was just too good to not be in season 3. I loved those scenes in the finale of season 2 but I still wish that Ashur was part of the main cast.

Ah well only two days to go and we get to see the premiere. Can't wait.

 

[Senator Soufflé]

While I originally didn't think much of Liam and his nasally voice ( seriously once you realize how much he talks through his nose at times, it's hard to take him serious) and while he wasn't as good as Andy, I grew to like him.

Naevia is still a bit crap though.

Spartacus is meant to have an army of thousands at this stage, so I'm curious if the numbers in battles will increase beyond last series, or we'll only see Spartacus do little skirmishes.

 

[Joni]

Honestly, this season should milk the hell out of flashbacks. Who cares if it's a cheap tactic to sidestep the consequences of character deaths? The departed cast could practically carry their own show. Oh wait, they did just that in season 1. But yeah, I want flashbacks and plenty of them.

Why? The dead characters (except maybe Doctore) have no plot relevance anymore. It would be pointless fan service.

 

[Discotheque]

Exactly. I love Ashur and particularly Batiatus but it would be stupid to waste time on any of these characters with flashbacks.

Spartacus has an army now, and he's up against Crassus and muthafucking Julius Caesar. Either they make something interesting out of this which they should, or they don't. But don't resort to needless plot points.

 

[Monocle]

Why? The dead characters (except maybe Doctore) have no plot relevance anymore. It would be pointless fan service.

It's world building. Just as the prequel expanded our knowledge of the season 1 characters and introduced some new ones, flashbacks can enhance the main plot by revealing hidden connections and developing additional layers. Nobody complained about Batiatus's presence in Gods of the Arena.

 

[Discotheque]

Gods of the Arena was such a small and contained story too, so they could afford it.

I don't think it would be wise to bring flashbacks into a season like this. It's gonna be hard enough containing this war into the 10 episodes.

 

[ThreeSixty]

Gods of the Arena was such a small and contained story too, so they could afford it.

I don't think it would be wise to bring flashbacks into a season like this. It's gonna be hard enough containing this war into the 10 episodes.

I think that's specifically why I have high hopes for this season. Instead of dragging out the Spartacus story over say two or three more seasons they're compressing the rest of the story (and presumably the rest of the historical record) into just ten episodes. This means there should be absolutely zero filler with major story turns happening in every episode. Theoretically this should produce a fantastic season. Spartacus going out with a bang if you will. I hope this logic rings true and the season does turn out amazing.

I think we'll be able to gauge the quality better when we see the premiere. Just two days to go.

 

[Joni]

It's world building. Just as the prequel expanded our knowledge of the season 1 characters and introduced some new ones, flashbacks can enhance the main plot by revealing hidden connections and developing additional layers. Nobody complained about Batiatus's presence in Gods of the Arena.

Because there is absolutely no need for Ashur or Batiatus or Xena to be connected to any of the characters that will be presented. Gods of the Arena had a clear purpose: Doctore, Gannicus, Crixus. Their relationships are key to season 2. You can't just connect old characters to random new characters because you liked the old ones. It doesn't make the new ones better.

 

[Monocle]

Gods of the Arena was such a small and contained story too, so they could afford it.

I don't think it would be wise to bring flashbacks into a season like this. It's gonna be hard enough containing this war into the 10 episodes.

If the writers were as clever as they were in season 1, they'd pull a Reservoir Dogs and have all of the major battles play out offscreen (barring a handful of key scenes, as necessary). The core of the drama is in the character interaction, which means that the consequences of the battles and not the battles themselves are the most fertile material for cultivating the intrigue, tragedy, and conflict the show is known for. The action could be restricted to smaller skirmishes and encounters between important characters, and the season would probably be better for it. It's hard to imagine how the show would benefit from flimsy film-scale set pieces. The effects were dodgy enough in the arena.

Because there is absolutely no need for Ashur or Batiatus or Xena to be connected to any of the characters that will be presented. Gods of the Arena had a clear purpose: Doctore, Gannicus, Crixus. Their relationships are key to season 2. You can't just connect old characters to random new characters because you liked the old ones. It doesn't make the new ones better.

Ironically, the surviving characters you mentioned are intimately connected to the old characters.

 

[Joni]

Ironically, the surviving characters you mentioned are intimately connected to the old characters.

Yes, but their plot connections to them have been wrapped up. Naeva got her revenge, Lucretia killed Sparty's baby, Crixus didn't care about Lucretia anymore. Their plot is up, anything else is filler.

 

[Feature]

I only saw blood and the sand. Are the other parts worthy of my looking? I'm scared I'm going to miss the old spartacus

 

[Clevinger]

I only saw blood and the sand. Are the other parts worthy of my looking? I'm scared I'm going to miss the old spartacus

Gods of the Arena (prequel miniseries) was just as good as or better than Blood and Sand. Most people seem to think season 2 was a disappointment.

 

[Ezio]

Will watch just to see Gannicus tear it up.

 

[Fulleffect]

I only saw blood and the sand. Are the other parts worthy of my looking? I'm scared I'm going to miss the old spartacus

Watch them all, I wasn't too sure about vengeance, but I ended up really liking it, totally psyched for s3, almost forgot about it

 

[Monocle]

I only saw blood and the sand. Are the other parts worthy of my looking? I'm scared I'm going to miss the old spartacus

Don't miss Gods of the Arena, it's superb. Season 2 is worth watching too, but expect a dip in quality. There's some juicy stuff with Ilithyia, Ashur, and Lucretia, though. And Glaber steps up his game to become an effective main antagonist.

Be careful in this thread. A lot of major spoilers are unmarked.

 

[aparisi2274]

I loved season one and the prequel.

Watched 1.5 episodes of season two but couldn't get past Andy being replaced by a dude so scrawny I wouldn't trust him to carry groceries let alone lead men into battle.

Maybe ill bite the bullet and cringe my way through his season 2 scenes to get to the new season.

I felt the same way when last season started, but I tell you this, by the end of the seaon, Liam makes that character his own, and you totally forget there was an actor portraying Spartacus before him.

RIP ANDY!!

 

[Monocle]

I felt the same way when last season started, but I tell you this, by the end of the seaon, Liam makes that character his own, and you totally forget there was an actor portraying Spartacus before him.

RIP ANDY!!

I don't imagine this would hold true for anyone who's seen season 1 recently. Andy is Spartacus, completely.

 

[a secret-boss]

Liam grew on me after season 2, and the guy is a gamer hence he looks puny compared to Manu (lol)

 

[Cornballer]

- ThinkProgress: Why The Bloody, Sex-Soaked ‘Spartacus’ Is The Most Progressive Show You’re Not Watching
- AfterElton.com interview: Dan Feuerriegel (Agron) of "Spartacus: War Of The Damned"

 

[Cornballer]

For your general amusement - a bunch of pictures from the premiere last night: