One of TV’s most popular franchises goes into battle for a final epic season when Spartacus: War of the Damned returns to Starz on January 25^th.  Taking place following the defeat of Roman commander Gaius Claudius Glaber, Spartacus and his men have amassed major victories against the Romans after the Battle of Vesuvius, and Rome is beginning to tremble at the threat this warrior now represents.

During this recent interview to promote the premiere of the final season, actors Liam McIntyre (who plays Spartacus) and Todd Lasance (who plays Julius Caesar), along with show creator Steven S. DeKnight, talked about what went into the decision to end the show, how Spartacus has changed this season, preparing for the inevitable historical ending, just how big of a threat Caesar will be, the possibility of a Caesar spin-off, what they hope to achieve with the final season, the epic battles, what the last day of shooting was like, and how the experience affect their lives.  Check out what they had to say after the jump.

Sarz has announced that its gladiatorial series Spartacus will come to its conclusion with its third season, Spartacus: War of the Damned, which will premiere on Friday, January 25th 2013 at 9pm.  Spartacus fashioned itself initially as a kind of response to HBO’s great but gone-too-soon series Rome, also piggybacking on the popularity of 300, but distinguished itself for being particularly violent, with lots of explicit sexual content.

Aside from having to establish itself among a bevy of currently running period dramas, the series faced difficulties during its first season when its star Andy Whitfield was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, which lead Starz to produce a prequel mini-series Spartacus: Gods of the Arena.  Liam McIntyre then replaced Whitfield for the following season, Spartacus: Vengeance, and will finish out the series’ run.  Hit the jump for more on Spartacus, including a sneak peek video of War of the Damned.

I’ve been watching Spartacus since day two.  I somehow missed day one.  Spartacus is much more than sex and gore, it’s about heart.  It’s about the growth of these characters from slaves to freedom fighters.  So getting a chance to sit down with Steven S. DeKnight (executive producer), Liam McIntyre (Spartacus), Manu Bennett (Crixus) and Cynthia Addai-Robinson (Naevia) was a big treat.  They’d flown straight from set in New Zealand to talk about the series.  For what they had to say about the final season Spartacus: War of the Damned, airing on STARZ in January 2013, read on after the break.

In an effort of full disclosure, I am a fan of the Spartacus series.  It’s not the blood and guts, though there’s plenty of both.  It’s not the hyper sexuality/sensuality, though that’s also available in spades.  It’s the character performances that make this series stand out for me.  I couldn’t pass up the chance to get a glimpse at what’s to come in the the final season Spartacus: War of the Damned, airing on STARZ in January 2013.  This panel really brought out the dead.  Find out what I mean after the break.

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.

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.

The new Starz original drama series Spartacus: Gods of the Arena is the prequel to the popular first season, Spartacus: Blood and Sand. Going back a few years prior, this mini-series showcases the time when the House of Batiatus is on the rise and basking in the glow of its infamous champion Gannicus (Dustin Clare), whose skill with a sword is matched only by his thirst for wine and women. Batiatus (John Hannah) will freely betray anyone to ensure his gladiators are in the highest demand, and his loyal and calculating wife Lucretia (Lucy Lawless) is by his side for every underhanded scheme, drawing on the talents of her seductive friend Gaia (Jaime Murray) when needed. Together, they will stop at nothing to deceive the masses, seize power and bleed Capua dry.

During a recent interview to talk about Gods of the Arena, show creator/head writer/executive producer Steven S. DeKnight talked about the prequel’s genesis, getting to explore some of the early history of characters that couldn’t be delved into more deeply in Blood and Sand, following the same tone and style of violence and nudity that the series has become known for, and book-ending this mini-series with the Spartacus character to tie everything together. He also talked about where he plans to head with Season 2, which will be called Spartacus: Vengeance, and the choice of actor Liam McIntyre to take over the title role. Check out what he had to say after the jump: