Summary

  • Starz has officially ordered a new Spartacus series called Spartacus: House of Ashur, featuring the return of the villainous character Ashur, played by Nick Tarabay.
  • The show will explore a "What If" scenario where Ashur survived and was rewarded with his own gladiator school for aiding in Spartacus' capture.
  • This new premise could potentially bring back the focus on gladiatorial battles and the excitement of the original Spartacus series, appealing to fans of the show's first season.

The Spartacus revival has been officially ordered to series, with the new premise teasing an unlikely “What If” scenario involving the return of an original character. Originally announced in February with original showrunner Steven S. DeKnight set to return, anticipation for the returning show was high despite its titular hero being killed off during the events of the original series finale. Since its original announcement, however, further news of the show’s progress was hampered by the impacts of the recent WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.

However, in a surprising turn of events, TVLine now reports that not only has Starz officially placed a ten-episode order for the returning show, they have also revealed its official title and unexpected premise. Dubbed Spartacus: House of Ashur, the new show will feature the return of the villainous Ashur played by Nick Tarabay. The series will feature a “What If” scenario that imagines a different outcome, in which Tarabay’s former gladiator survived and was gifted his own Ludus in response to aiding in the capture of Spartacus. Check out the official description below:

[Spartacus: House of Ashur is a] history-bending, erotic, thrilling, roller-coaster experience that builds on everything that made the original series a colossal hit. The series poses the question: what if Ashur… hadn’t died on Mount Vesuvius at the end of Spartacus: Vengeance? And what if he had been gifted the gladiator school once owned by Batiatus in return for aiding the Romans in killing Spartacus and putting an end to the slave rebellion?

Tarabay’s character Ashur was originally killed in the Spartacus season 2 finale by Cynthia Addai-Robinson's character Naevia.

Why Spartacus: House Of Ashur Could Return To The Original Appeal Of Spartacus: Blood & Sand

Ashur in a promotional image for Spartacus Blood and Sand

Among the various theories espoused when the Spartacus revival was first announced, the idea of DeKnight pursuing a hypothetical scenario was largely overlooked by many online commentators. However, as unexpected as this new reveal is, it not only promises an intriguing underlying premise, but it could also potentially usher in a direct return to the kind of action that made the show’s first season such an overwhelming success.

While the latter seasons would go on to depict Spartacus’ fight against the Romans and his ambitious slave rebellion, the original Spartacus: Blood and Sand was set mostly in the world of gladiatorial battles and the antics surrounding the games that took place within Roman arenas. Having Tarabay’s Ashur return as the Dominus of his own gladiator school sets up the potential restoration of this exact kind of focus.

Moreover, with the show already resurrecting Tarabay’s character, there is also the potential to see the return of other key characters killed off during the original show. Lucy Lawless’ Lucretia could potentially feature high on such a list, in a scenario which may see Ashur assume not only control Batiatus’s Ludus, but also claim his wife as well. While it is still only early days, the prospects for the new Spartacus: House of Ashur seem more than promising.

Source: TVLine