The reports and articles are coming through...here's a list of articles:
Is anyone surprised that Lucy stole the show at Comic Con?
San Diego Entertainer Magazine - 24 July 2009
Lucy Lawless steals the show at "Spartacus" panel
We just got out of the panel for Starz' upcoming new series, Spartacus. They're
making their presence known here this weekend, nabbing the lanyard rights and
subsequently turning everyone with passes hanging from their necks into walking
advertisements. Every question from the audience was to Lucy Lawless. With all
the salivating males around, this is hardly surprising. The trailer was great,
but, for most guys there, all they needed to know was that it was basically a
show where Lucy gets naked.
LA Times Blog - 24 July 2009
Comic-Con: 'Spartacus' death toll 'like nothing you've seen'
"This will have a death toll like nothing you've seen on television before,"
vowed writer-producer Steven DeKnight of "Spartacus," Starz's new
sword-and-sandals epic coming in January.
The premium channel unveiled the trailer during a Comic-Con panel today, and
indeed the series looks gory. And full of naked bodies! Imagine the nudity of
HBO's "Rome," the violence of "Gladiator" and the look of "300," and you'll have
a good idea of what "Spartacus" is like.
It's "big fun back on the small screen," as star Lucy Lawless, the erstwhile
Xena, told the crowd. And here's something you don't hear often from producers:
The network wanted them to push the envelope even more. "There have been times
when Starz has told us, push it a little further. We'll tell you when you cross
the line," DeKnight said.
For all that, though, he added that the violence is more "operatic" rather than
realistic. The nudity, meanwhile, forced Lawless to hit the gym. "I do have to
work out," she said. "Being naked on-screen is no fun."
Beyond Hollywood - 24 July 2007
Comic-Con '09 Coverage, Featured, Spartacus: Blood and Sand TV Series, TV News,
Videos -- By Nix on July 24, 2009
This was one of the panels at Comic-Con that I was most curious about. You've
probably heard all the stories, since we've been covering the Starz show from
Day 1. It's not supposed to be your father's Spartacus. Bloody violence, sex,
nudity -- all that good stuff they couldn't have gotten away with if they were on
network TV or syndication. And after having seen an extended trailer from the
show at the Spartacus: Blood and Sand panel, I can safely say that Yes, I think
they were right to make those promises. This really isn't my father's Spartacus,
and oh hell yeah this thing has tons of bloody violence, nudity, and sex.
The panel was attended by castmembers Lucy Lawless (she plays Lucretia, the
scheming wife (Lawless describes her as Lady MacBeth) of the guy who runs the
Gladiator training facility known as the Ludus), Erin Cummings (she plays Sura,
Spartacus' wife), Peter Mensah (Doctore, the gladiator's trainer), and executive
producers Rob Tapert and Steven S. DeKnight, also the show's writer.
Read More
Channel Guide Magazine - 25 July 2009
Comic-Con, Day 3: Don't Mess With Spartacus
Posted on July 25th, 2009
By Stacey Harrison
Today's highlight was a sneak preview of the upcoming Starz gladiator epic,
Spartacus: Blood and Sand. Or, as you'll see as we get closer to the January
premiere date, the TV version of 300. In describing the sex and violence
quotient, the moderator said, "It's going to make Rome look like Full House."
Included on the panel were Lucy Lawless, who plays Lucretia, wife of the
Spartacus' master; Erin Cummings, who plays Sura, Spartacus' long-suffering
wife; Peter Mensah -- who was actually in 300, as the Persian messenger who gets
kicked down that hole by Leonidas -- plays Doctore, the trainer of the
gladiators; producer (and Lawless' hubby) Robert Tapert; and writer and producer
Steven DeKnight, who looks more like a UFC promoter than a show runner.
Spartacus himself was supposed to show up, but newcomer Andy Whitfield had to
beg off due to the production schedule.
DeKnight says the story is far different from the one made famous in the 1960
Stanley Kubrick epic that starred Kirk Douglas. There is much more to the
historical story of Spartacus than was told there. Yes, Spartacus led a slave
revolution that nearly brought the Roman Empire to its knees, but what was his
life like before. That is where Blood and Sand spends much of its 13-episode
first season, making very good use of the relaxed standards that come with being
on a premium network. "Starz told us, push it a little further," DeKnight said.
"When you cross the line, we'll tell you."
Lawless said she will not get to make use of the fighting skills she learned
during all those years on Xena: Warrior Princess. Instead, she spends a lot of
time getting physical in a different way with the gladiators in her husband's
stable. She is desperate to have a baby, and her husband, Batiatus (John
Hannah), is unable to give her one, forcing her to look for help elsewhere. That
aside, the couple does have a workable relationship, but their push for power
drives them to become the Lady and Lord Macbeth of the piece.
For more news - check out Comic Con Spartacus Panel News & Pics
