Steven DeKnight

“SPARTACUS” RETURNS TO COMIC-CON!! ANDY WHITFIELD, JOHN HANNAH, VIVA BIANCA AND LUCY LAWLESS WILL TOUT STARZ ORIGINAL HIT SERIES

Beverly Hills, Calif. – June 16, 2010 – Fresh from a triumphant first season on the Starz original series “Spartacus: Blood and Sand,” stars Andy Whitfield (Spartacus), Lucy Lawless (Lucretia), John Hannah (Batiatus), Viva Bianca (Ilythia), and Executive Producer and Head Writer Steven S. DeKnight will appear on a panel at the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con on Friday, July 23. The day ends with a Spartacus-sponsored late night “Wrath of Con” party where the stars will be in attendance.

Whitfield and Bianca’s first San Diego appearance will be joined by Comic-Con veterans Lawless, Hannah and DeKnight. The team will discuss the unique narrative approach to the ancient legend as well as giving the fans a glimpse of what to expect from the upcoming Spartacus prequel, which begins filming in New Zealand this August.

”I’m very excited to be at my first Comic-Con and meet the fans who have made this show an international success,” Whitfield said.

”We’re looking forward to returning to San Diego,” DeKnight added. “When we presented at last year’s Comic-Con, we could tell by the audience reaction that we had something special. This year, with the prequel and season 2 in the works, we have even more to share with the fans.”

“The 2009 Comic-Con kicked off our ‘Spartacus’ marketing campaign,” says Starz EVP, Marketing, Nancy McGee. “We were thrilled at the response, and are excited to bring Andy, Lucy, John and Viva so they can see first-hand the excitement the show has generated from audiences all over the world.”

About “Spartacus: Blood and Sand” :

“Spartacus: Blood and Sand – The Complete First Season” will be released on Blu-Ray™ and DVD on September 21st from Anchor Bay Entertainment.

Airing exclusively on Starz, “Spartacus: Blood and Sand” is produced by Starz Media with Executive Producers Rob Tapert (30 Days of Night, Evil Dead Trilogy), Sam Raimi (Spider-Man and Evil Dead Trilogy), Joshua Donen (The Quick and the Dead), along with DeKnight (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer”). “Spartacus: Blood and Sand,” the top-rated show on Fridays for adults (18-49 based on coverage rating) on all of cable for 12 of its 13 episodes, was inspired by the actual slave of the Roman Republic who in 73 BC led a slave revolt that grew to more than 120,000 fighters. Defying the Roman Republic’s legions of soldiers, they campaigned for two years through much of what is now Italy before succumbing to a much larger army.