Australian actor Dustin Clare starred as Gannicus, the former champion of Capua, in the series prequel Spartacus: Gods of the Arena. Now, his character is returning to the current season, Spartacus: Vengeance, in Episode 5, entitled “Libertus,” airing on Starz on February 24^th.

During a recent interview to promote his character’s return, Dustin Clare talked about making the transition from series lead in the prequel to part of the ensemble in Season 2, what Gannicus has been through in the last five years, the challenges he faces as a free man, how Gannicus will be received by the other characters, how he initially got involved with Spartacus, and what it takes to train and prep for the show. Check out what he had to say after the jump.

To fight in the arena, you must have skill, strength and a physique I could never even dream to achieve. In Spartacus: Gods of the Arena, the prequel to the Starz series Spartacus: Blood and Sand, we see the posturing, deception and loss necessary to elevate the House Batiatus as Capua stands on the precipice of the opening of its great arena… More blood and sandals after the jump.

As a fan of Spartacus: Blood and Sand (Season One) and Spartacus: Gods of the Arena (the prequel series), I was excited to see what Season Two (named Vengeance) had in store for us.  While the cast and creator Steven S. DeKnight were generally tight-lipped about plot points, a couple of interesting tidbits slipped through.

Vengeance starts within a month or two after the end of Season One. Plans since the beginning was to have the women fight, since that is historically accurate.  There will be a female warrior towards the middle of the season.  Another addition will be Gaius Claudius Glaber (Craig Parker) who will be sent in by Rome to quell the slave uprising.  Ashur (Nick E. Tarabay) will return and Lucretia returns in Episode One, though how she survived the stabbing won’t be explained straight off, but DeKnight said it will be explained.  Continued after the jump.

The 37^th Annual Saturn Awards were held last night. The Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films honored the best in film, television, special effects and more. Inception was the big winner of the night, taking home five awards including Best Science Fiction Film. Other winners in the top categories include Fringe for Best Network Series, Breaking Bad for best Cable Series, Let Me In for Best Horror Film, Alice in Wonderland for Best Fantasy Film and Salt for Best Action/Adventure Film.

Hit the jump to see the full list of winners, and don’t forget to check out Collider’s interviews from the red carpet at the event. We spoke with Brandon Routh, Fringe’s Lance Reddick, and producer Dean Devlin.

With Comic-Con 2011 fast approaching, we can expect a multitude of panel announcements in the coming weeks. Today, Starz has informed us that the cast of both Torchwood: Miracle Day and Spartacus: Vengeance will be appearing at the Con on Friday, July 22^nd. For Torchwood, John Barrowman, Eve Myles, and new headliners Bill Pullman, Mekhi Phifer, Alexa Havins, Lauren Ambrose, and writer Jane Espenson will all be present. For Spartacus, Liam McIntyre, Lucy Lawless, Dustin Clare, Manu Bennett, Katrina Law, and Executive Producer and Head Writer Steven S. DeKnight will appear.

Hit the jump to read the full press release. Torchwood debuts on Starz Friday July 8^th, while Spartacus will air on the cable channel in 2012.

On the Starz original drama series Spartacus: Gods of the Arena, the prequel for the popular Spartacus: Blood and Sand, actress Lucy Lawless plays Lucretia, a woman who is always supportive of her husband Batiatus’ (John Hannah) dreams, however wild the direction they threaten to grow. Though conscious of the role she’s expected to play as a proper Roman woman, she will discover that when the moment most needs it, she can do what is necessary to gain power.

During a recent interview to promote the prequel, Lucy Lawless talked about returning to a character that she thought was dead at the end of the show’s first season, the pleasure of seeing the early life of Lucretia, how much she hates doing action scenes, and the fact that she will be returning for Season 2, which is being called Spartacus: Vengeance, and will now feature Liam McIntyre in the title role. Check out what she had to say after the jump:

The debut season of the gladiator soap Spartacus was a major performer for Starz this winter, so naturally the premium channel hastily ordered another round.  Unfortunately, star Andy Whitfield was diagnosed with cancer, which forced a delay in the production of season two.  In an effort to keep the valuable franchise abuzz during the hiatus, Starz has ordered a six-part prequel for air in January 2011.  THR reports that “Lucy Lawless (Lucretia) and John Hannah (Batiatus) will take center stage in the story of the rise of the House of Batiatus and its champions before Spartacus.”

While the Starz catering comedy Party Down has (deservedly) amassed a strong critical following, the network’s series adaptation of Crash was an utter failure for a network trying to establish a brand of original series.  By the time Spartacus ended its first season run, up to 1.3 million viewers tuned in per episode, with solid demo numbers to boot.  On Fridays!  As a benchmark, the series has surpassed the first season ratings of Showtime flagship Dexter.  The prequel sounds like a smart move for a hit show whose star can’t jump back into production right away; plus, beloved characters who may not have survived the finale get more screen time.  Hit the jump for the official press release.

Yesterday, The Live Feed reported that Starz is ordering a second season of its new original series Spartacus: Blood and Sand before even one episode of the show has aired. The show is a look at the world of gladiators in ancient Rome, said to be in the graphic style of 300. It stars Andy Whitfield, Lucy Lawless, John Hannah, and Peter Mensah, and counts Sam Raimi among its producers.

Now Deadline reports that Starz has recruited Chris Albrecht to be its new president and CEO. Albrecht used to be the chairman and CEO of HBO until he resigned in 2007 at the request of the company due to an assault charge. It is under Albrecht’s guide that HBO staked its substantial claim in original programming with such acclaimed series as The Sopranos, Sex and the City, Six Feet Under, Deadwood, Curb Your Enthusiasm and The Wire. For more on what these moves mean for the future of Starz, hit the jump.