The “Spartacus” franchise is back — and maybe bloodier than ever.
Starz has released an explicit, blood-filled red band trailer for “Spartacus: House of Ashur,” a sequel to the network’s hit 2010s series. The Thursday trailer promises a violent return to the world of gladiators and Roman rulers, featuring a number of gory kills and vicious cuts.
The teaser also puts a spotlight on Gaius Julius Caesar, played here by Jackson Gallagher. The famed Roman figure appeared in the third season of the original “Spartacus,” then-portrayed by Todd Lasance. You can watch the red band trailer below — though viewers seeking a less NSFW option may want to pull up the green band trailer.
This “Spartacus” spin-off takes place in a parallel universe from the original series, showing a world in which Ashur (played by Nick E. Tarabay) never died by beheading. Instead, he has taken the reins of his own former gladiator school. But that doesn’t mean everything is going well for him, as the former slave’s new House is “constantly blemished by defeat” in gladiatorial contests.
Joining him in his new school is Achillia (Tenika Davis), a female gladiator — or “gladiatrix” — who begins to draw attention and bring promise to the House of Ashur.
“What if Ashur had lived, and the Romans rewarded his treachery with the gladiator school where he once bled?” a plot synopsis for the series asks. “Welcome to the House of Ashur. No longer a slave, Ashur has clawed his way to power, owning the same ludus that once owned him. But ruling a band of merciless gladiators is child’s play compared to surviving the savage world of Roman politics — a cutthroat game in which betrayal isn’t a sin, it’s currency. He flips tradition on its head by unleashing Achillia, a fierce and powerful gladiatrix eager to prove herself worthy in a man’s world. Together, they ignite a new kind of spectacle that shocks, disrupts and offends the elite with every drop of blood.”
Steven DeKnight, who created the original “Spartacus” series, serves as showrunner on “House of Ashur.” Rick Jacobson and Aaron Helbing will serve as executive producers alongside DeKnight. Lionsgate Television produced the 10-episode series for Starz.
“Spartacus: House of Ashur” will have a two-episode premiere Dec. 5 on Starz.
