The return of Spartacus after a ten-year hiatus was reason enough for fans of the franchise to be hyped about it. However, a new piece of information unveiled by Deadline just revealed that Spartacus: House of Ashur will be even more of a must-watch due to one of its cast members. Lucy Lawless (Xena: Warrior Princess) is returning to the series as Lucretia, and the fan-favorite character is coming back in a guest-starring role. Starz is yet to reveal a release window for the series.
The presence of Lucretia in Spartacus: House of Ashur has the potential to greatly elevate the tension in the series. The story will take place in a somewhat alternate reality: a scenario in which Ashur (Nick Tarabay) not only survived the tragedy of Mount Vesuvius but also was gifted Batiatus’ (John Hannah) ludus as a gesture of appreciation for helping put an end to the slave rebellion that killed the title character. The return of Lucretia means that the once-powerful woman will have to witness her gladiators obey someone else — or even worse, be forced to marry Ashur in order not to lose her status. Details of Lawless‘s participation are yet to be revealed to the public.
Lucy Lawless Is Reprising A “Scary” Role In ‘Spartacus: House of Ashur’
During an interview in which she spoke to Collider about several key roles from her career, Lawless told our producer Perri Nemiroff that Lucretia was one of the roles she felt the most intimidated to play. Not only because of the character’s personality but also due to Lucretia’s nonchalant attitude towards taboo themes:
“Probably Lucretia. [That] was pretty damn scary. Xena was scary on that physical level because it was just relentless and I hated the action. I just hate fighting. But again, I didn’t have an option to hate it so I didn’t indulge that. But Spartacus was very difficult for — you know, that whole nudity thing is quite counter to one’s nature and to our culture.”
Spartacus: House of Ashur is once again helmed by Spartacus creator Steven S. DeKnight. The cameras started rolling earlier this month, and at the time Starz used the opportunity to announce that the main cast also features Graham McTavish (House of the Dragon), Tenika Davis (Cabinet of Curiosities), Jordi Webber (Power Rangers Ninja Steel), Jamaica Vaughan (Home and Away), Ivana Baquero (The Shannara Chronicles), Claudia Black (Ahsoka), India Shaw-Smith (Supernatural) and Leigh Hill (Game of Thrones).
Starz is yet to announce a release window for Spartacus: House of Ashur. Stick with Collider to find out news as soon as it is announced. You can rent or buy Spartacus on digital or stream it on Starz.
via Collider