According to Deadline and a release from Starz, Australian actor, Liam McIntyre, has been named as the actor to succeed Andy Whitfield in the lead role of Spartacus, in Starz' Spartacus: Blood and Sand (series 2).
Production of the second series of Spartacus: Blood and Sand originally had to be halted when its star, Andy Whitfield, was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. In September 2011, it became increasingly evident (as Whitfield's cancer returned), that the character would have to be re-cast or the show would be cancelled. In the interim, the producers came up with the idea of expanding a single flashback idea to cover an entire series. Thus, Spartacus: Gods of the Arena (which airs tonight on Starz) was born. It will act as a prequel to the original timeline of the show.
Even with the set-back, the second series of Spartacus: Blood and Sand is expected to begin filming again with Liam McIntyre cast as the new lead (with Whitfield's full blessings).
According to its release, Starz says Liam McIntyre was one of 3 hopefuls who were flown out to vie for the role. According to Starz' release Liam "has excelled at a grueling and rigorous audition process to claim the title role in the second season". The actor apparently was told he would need to bulk up for the role of a gladiator.
Read Starz' full release below:
McIntyre takes over the role of the Thracian warrior sold into slavery in the Roman Republic city of Capua – where he rises to become the champion of the city – before leading the slave revolt that ended Season 1. The part was played in the first season of “Spartacus: Blood and Sand” by Andy Whitfield, who was forced to leave the show in order due to health issues. Whitfield gave his blessing to the recasting.
“Since no one can really replace Andy, we realized that we should instead find an actor who can truly lead ‘Spartacus’ forward,” Straz's CEO Chris Albrecht notes. “It was important to us to have Andy endorse the idea of recasting this part, which he did in the same heroic manner that he’s dealt with his whole ordeal. And that, coupled with our fortune in finding a young actor with the gladiator credentials and the acting ability of Liam, makes it easier for us to keep this hit franchise going.”
Liam McIntyre made his mark in his native Australia on such series as “Neighbours,” and “Rush.” He also appeared in the HBO mini-series “The Pacific.” He recently completed his first feature starring role in the independent film Frozen Moments. McIntyre is currently in New Zealand, getting himself into gladiator shape in order to take on that iconic role. Production on the series is slated to resume by Spring of 2011.
[Source: Deadline]
Topics: movie, news, casting
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