Starz’s Shocking Spartacus Announcement
Image via techfleece.com
Strange news emerged from Starz on Monday morning as an official and unexpected announcement was made pertaining to the future of the Spartacus series. Many, like me, were caught off guard when word of an end date was announced. It was even more surprising to discover that the series will be ending after the upcoming third season. The third season, now officially titled Spartacus: War of the Damned, begins airing in January and will run for 10 episodes before the series calls it quits.
In several interviews circling around the web, series creator Steven S. DeKnight explained in a round-about way that although he is supportive of the network’s decision, it was their decision and not his. DeKnight pointed to the series many hardships, including several recasts, as one reason for the decision. He later went on to explain via his Twitter feed that his explanation was not a shot at Liam McIntyre‘s performance (as some had taken it), but instead simply an acknowledgement that the show’s production had not been a smooth one for the network.
Spartacus: War of the Damned will center on the epic struggle between Spartacus and Marcus Crassus. As previously reported, the roles of Crassus and Julius Caesar have already been cast and will be a main focus this season. The upcoming 10 episode season will bring the series total to 39 episodes which will have aired over three seasons and a prequel.
How does this news hit everyone? I know that I am a huge fan of the series, and although I appreciate them trying to go out on top, I can’t help but be fairly shocked by the announcement.
Sad news, indeed. Spartacus is one of my all time favorites and I’m really sad to see it go. On the plus side, at least they’ll (hopefully) be able to give it a nice capstone ending.