Spartacus - A STARZ Original Series. Spartacus: Vengeance (TV Series 2010) Spartacus (TV series) After the completion of the first season titled Spartacus: Blood and Sand, production for another season was delayed because lead actor Andy Whitfield was diagnosed with early-stage non-Hodgkin lymphoma so Starz produced a six-episode prequel mini-series entitled Spartacus: Gods of the Arena.
When the actor's cancer recurred and he later died on September 11, 2011,[3][4] Starz had actor Liam McIntyre take on the role of Spartacus in the second season titled Spartacus: Vengeance.[5][6] On June 4, 2012, Starz announced the third and final season, titled Spartacus: War of the Damned.[7][8] Noting well the Thracian's fierce raw talent and popularity with the masses, Batiatus purchases him for training within the walls of his ludus under the tutelage of Doctore, a former gladiator and fellow slave.