New lead readies for rebellion as 'Spartacus' returns to Starz

While death is dished out regularly on “Spartacus” — often by way of cartoonish violence and slow-motion effects shots — it hit home for the cast and crew in a very real way in September with the passing of original star Andy Whitfield.

Production was nearly complete on Season 2 — dubbed “Spartacus: Vengeance” (which kicks off Friday, Jan. 27, on Starz) — with Liam McIntyre assuming the lead role, a development that had Whitfield's blessing. Executive producer Steven S. DeKnight says he and the “Spartacus” crew knew how gravely ill their friend was as he fought his second battle against lymphoma, but that didn't make the tragic news any less difficult to take.

“Andy was just such a lovely human being and embodied everything we wanted for Spartacus and a lot of stuff we didn't even know we needed for Spartacus,” he says. “It was quite a blow. We knew it was coming for a while, but still nothing prepares you for the reality of it happening.”

In addition to overcoming their grief, the writers and producers also faced a hefty creative challenge in having to come up with essentially a brand-new kind of show. Both the first season, “Blood and Sand,” and the prequel, “Gods of the Arena,” took place primarily in the ludus, or gladiator school. But “Vengeance” picks up with Spartacus leading escaped gladiators and other refugees across the Roman Empire in the early stages of what will become a slave rebellion. Yet even with the change, “Vengeance” retains the signature feel and style of “Spartacus,” and that may be the best tribute the show can muster for its fallen star.

McIntyre is a more mercurial presence, more rooted in action than in thoughtful deliberation. He's convincing as Spartacus emerges as the leader, enduring a tense truce with former rival Crixus (Manu Bennett) as they balance their own agendas against the greater good of the group. Spartacus is gunning for Glaber (Craig Parker), the Roman commander who ripped him from his Thracian home, while Crixus searches desperately for his lost love Naevia (now played by Cynthia Addai-Robinson).

McIntyre was quick to heap praise on the cast, who he says made him feel welcome immediately. “I can only imagine what it would have been like to have that situation happen around you,” he says. “But from my very first test, they were really kind and warm and working through a tough situation. They helped me do my best work.”

Returning cast members include Peter Mensah as Oenomaus, the disgraced Doctore trying to find a new purpose in life; Dustin Clare as Gannicus, the champion we met in “Gods of the Arena”; Nick E. Tarabay as the cunning Ashur; Viva Bianca as Glaber's ambitious wife, Ilithyia; and — in a move that surprised and delighted fans — Lucy Lawless as Lucretia, the wife of Batiatus, who appeared to have been fatally wounded by Crixus in the “Blood and Sand” finale.

“She's somewhat worse for wear,” Lawless says. “It's a moment-to-moment struggle for survival, but she's got a master plan.”

DeKnight has a plan as well, and that is to tell the whole story of Spartacus, presumably ending in the character's death. And he's confident he will get the time he wants to do it — around five seasons, he estimates — thanks to Starz's continuing support of the show. The network renewed “Spartacus” for a third season in November.

“It's very different from network television, let me tell you, where you don't know if you're going to finish a season, let alone get another one,” he says. “It's great on the creative side, because we know we can tell a complete story. We can plan for it.”