John Hannah at the 'Spartacus' Comic-Con panel

John Hannah and the rest of the Spartacus cast appeared at Comic-Con to talk about the upcoming prequel season, which is titled Spartacus: Gods of the Arena. The season will premiere in January 2011 on Starz. Photos from the panel are below and shaky footage of the panel has appeared on YouTube, so you can watch the first part of the panel here.

John Hannah promotes 'Spartacus: Blood And Sand'

John Hannah has been busy doing press for Spartacus: Blood And Sand in the UK (it premiered tonight on Bravo) and some of his interviews are below.

John on Frost Over the World:


John on GMTV:


An excerpt from an interview with Digital Spy:

What attracted you to Spartacus?
"As an actor it was completely different from everything else I'd done, in terms of the content and in terms of the character. It was nearer theatre than any kind of contemporary TV that I'd done, and I think the American cable channels have been doing some fantastic work recently with things like Rome, The Sopranos and Deadwood and stuff like that. It's very much in that kind of range. So it was a no-brainer really. Once I'd read the script I was desperate to do it."

Can you explain a little bit about your character Batiatus?
"Historically the lanistas [gladiator managers] were looked down upon by society while being deeply revered, in the way that football managers are. A little bit like brothel keepers, they were sort of needed but you would not necessarily want to be seen with them in daylight. Like second-hand car salesmen, once they do well enough these guys want to become a little bit more establishment. As the show develops, Batiatus does start seeking higher positions. And he'll do anything to get there. He's incredibly manipulative, incredibly evil. At the same time, he's also a nice guy - he's trying to have a kid with his missus and he wants to have a family and all of that, but he'll think nothing of killing competitors and getting rid of them in any way that's required for him to get on."

You're well-known for your roles in romantic comedies. Do you think people will be surprised by your role in this show?
"I hope so. I'm sure people are savvy enough these days to realise that actors as individuals would like to do different things in the same way that they don't want to see the same people doing the same things all the time. And also just as a TV viewer myself I'm kind of bored with the same kind of things being on TV. This is something incredibly different-looking, incredibly different in content. And I think that's why it's been such a hit. I think the TV-watching public in this country are sick of everything being a bit soapy, a bit detectivey. Lawyers and doctors and hospitals and pubs..." [Catriona Wightman]

'Spartacus: Blood and Sand' to return as prequel series

Spartacus, starring John Hannah is set to return to Starz in January as a prequel. John Hannah's co-star Andy Whitfield has been getting treatment for non-Hodgkins lymphoma and will be in 2 out of 6 episodes. Shooting is expected to resume this summer in New Zealand:

The prequel series will focus on the rise of the House of Batiatus, the gladiator academy, and will revolve around the relationship between [Lucy] Lawless' and Hannah's characters, Lucretia and Batiatus.

...When Whitfield is able to get back to work on a more regular basis, the "Spartacus: Blood and Sand" story will continue where it left off. In the meantime, Starz is casting a new character, who preceded Spartacus and Crixus as the top gladiator at the House of Batiatus.

Aside from Hannah, Lawless, and Whitfield, fans can expect to see more familiar faces among the prequel's cast members. [Zap2it]

John Hannah at the 'Spartacus: Blood And Sand' New York Premiere

Photos of John from last night's premiere with co-stars Lucy Lawless and Andy Whitfield are below. Spartacus: Blood and Sand premieres tonight, January 22nd on Starz in the US.









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Cast photos from 'Spartacus: Blood and Sand'

Some character stills from Starz's new series Spartacus: Blood and Sand were released about a week ago. The photos of John Hannah as Batiatus are posted below. You can go here for a look at the full batch of photos. Spartacus: Blood and Sand will premiere on January 22, 2010 at 10pm on Starz in the US.



Starz also released some behind the scenes video with some footage from the show.



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First look: John Hannah in Spartacus: Blood and Sand

There was a preview of the brand new Starz Channel original series, Spartacus: Blood and Sand at Comic-Con. The show premieres in January 2010 in the US and stars Scottish actor John Hannah and Lucy Lawless.

The trailer was previewed at Comic-Con and you can watch it below:

John is also in the behind the scenes interviews along with some of the cast and crew of the upcoming show:



Here's a synopsis of the show courtesy of Starz:

Betrayed by his country. Beaten into slavery. Reborn as a warrior. "Spartacus: Blood and Sand" is a graphic and visceral account of Rome’s most famous gladiator. When he’s separated from the love of his life, Spartacus is forced into the gruesome and bloodthirsty arena, where a grisly death is primetime entertainment. Spartacus must fight for survival, befriend his enemies and play politics in this new world of corruption, violence, sex and fame. He’ll be seduced by power and tormented by vengeance. But his passion will give him the strength to prevail over every obstacle, in this modern and uninhibited tale of death, honor and endurance.

Starring Australian actor, Andy Whitfield (McLeod's Daughters) as Spartacus, Lucy Lawless (Xena: Warrior Princess) as Lucretia, John Hannah (The Mummy, Four Weddings and A Funeral) as Batiatus and Peter Mensah (300, The Incredible Hulk) as Doctore, this unique mix of live action, graphic novel effects and brutal battle sequences is set to make "Spartacus: Blood and Sand" an epic television event.

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