Spartacus News!

Earlier this month, Starz announced it will conclude its Emmy nominated Spartacus series next year. The final season, titled Spartacus: War of the Damned, will premier in January 2013. I have loved the series so far, ranking it just behind HBO’s Game of Thrones in terms of quality. And while I understand the producers’ desire to end the season while it’s still popular, I have a hard time believing they will be able to cover the rest of the Spartacus story in just ten or so episodes.

This past season, Spartacus: Vengeance, covered the portion of Spartacus’ slave rebellion that takes place after the Capuan revolt (the topic of season one, Spartacus: Blood and Sand) through the slaves’ refuge on Mount Vesuvius, ending in a spectacular battle with the Roman praetor Gaius Claudius Glaber. This battle, however, was really just the first of many famous battles fought by Spartacus and his army during what historians call the Third Servile War.

The historical Spartacus went on the defeat Roman forces led by another praetor and several consular legions until suffering defeat at the hands of Marcus Licinius Crassus, who later became part of the First Triumvirate with Pompey and Julius Caesar. Spartacus’ battles took place in various locations throughout Italy over a number of years. I doubt the producers are going to cram all of this into one season unless they cut out big chunks of history or end the series before the conclusion of the historical story of Spartacus. But as a fan of the series, I hope they pull it off, however they choose to end it.

In other Spartacus news, on Saturday, June 23, I’ll be reviewing Spartacus the Gladiator, a new novel by author Ben Kane. Then, on June 24, I’ll feature an interview with the author himself! So be sure to check back this weekend at Fresh-scraped Vellum. And in the meantime, if you have any thoughts on the upcoming and final season of the Starz series on Spartacus, I’d love to hear them.