The cast is led by franchise star Nick Tarabay who reprises the role of the titular Ashur. Production on the 10-part series helmed by Steven S. DeKnight is underway in New Zealand.
“And who will fight Ashur? Choose carefully, for I long for blood”—Ashur
The main cast includes (clockwise from top left) Graham McTavish, Tenika Davis, Jamaica Vaughan, Ivana Baquero, Jordi Webber, Claudia Black, India Shaw-Smith and Leigh Gill.
Spartacus: House of Ashur is described by the network as a "history-breaking, erotic, thrilling, rollercoaster experience that builds on everything that made the original series a colossal hit. The series asks the question: what if Ashur, played by fan favorite Nick Tarabay, hadn't died on Mount Vesuvius at the end of Spartacus: Vengeance? And what if he had been given Batiatus' gladiator school in exchange for helping the Romans kill Spartacus and end the slave rebellion?
McTavish plays Korris, a former gladiator who won his freedom in the arena and is now Ashur's Doctore, training the gladiators in Ashur's Ludus. Davis plays Achillia, a female gladiator driven to surpass her male counterparts. Vaughan plays Hilara, a young, exalted house slave who is deeply in love with Ashur. Baquero plays Messia, a house slave who is in love with Hilara.
Webber plays Tarchon, a brutal and stubborn gladiator. Black plays Cossutia, a politician determined to keep Ashur in his place and constantly plotting his downfall. Shaw-Smith plays Viridia, the daughter of Cossutia. Gill plays Satyrus, the leader of the Brothers Ferox, gladiators of a rival Ludus.
The question now is, could another original actor return? If you were counting on Manu Bennett as Crixus or Katrina Law as Mira, it's safe to say they seem the least likely. Deadline caught up with the two on the red carpet of a CBS event earlier this year, where they revealed that they are fully booked and busy with their own projects.
Bennett hosts the reality competition show The Summit and Law plays Special Agent Jessica Knight on NCIS, both for CBS. But that doesn't mean the timing won't be right in the future, so keep hope alive. And hey, we're not even sure Jessica survived the NCIS Season 21 finale...
Spartacus creator, writer and executive producer Steven S. DeKnight returns to the franchise he helped create as showrunner and executive producer of Spartacus: House of Asher. The latest series follows Spartacus: Blood and Sand which debuted on Starz in 2010 and was followed by the prequel series Spartacus: Gods of the Arena in 2011. Two additional series were subsequently released: Spartacus: Vengeance in 2012 and Spartacus: War of the Damned in 2013. Spartacus: House of Ashur is produced by Lionsgate Television for Starz.