Lesley-Ann, who is currently in the US to attend the Cable Show convention on 13 May sent the following note about confirming she was in the prequel and the date the prequel starts shooting:

Happy to confirm that I am part of the Spartacus prequel and we start filming in July! Can't wait! about 1 hour ago via web

Check out Lesley-Ann's Official fan site for more info on The Cable Show Convention