John Hannah Talks About the Past and Future of His 'Spartacus' Character

If you think 'Spartacus' is all about muscle-bound guys hacking each other's limbs off in the gladiator arena, think again.

One of the most compelling things about the Starz drama, which returned Jan. 21 with a 6-episode prequel season, is John Hannah's fierce portrayal of Quintus Lentulus Batiatus, the owner of a ludus, or gladiator academy.

He is an ambitious, cunning, self-serving man, but thanks to Hannah's subtle performance, you end up rooting for Batiatus, who loves his wife dearly and just wants to succeed in a brutal, bloody world.

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'Spartacus' goes back to the beginning with 'Gods of the Arena'

The six-episode prequel, starring John Hannah as Batiatus, premieres on Starz (U.S.) at 9 p.m. tonight (21 January).

More info at Chicago Now

Behind the scenes of 'Spartacus: Gods of the Arena'

Starz has released a behind-the-scenes video of the new season of Spartacus. There are interviews with the cast and crew, including a brief one with John Hannah. The series airs on January 21 at 10pm on Starz.

New poster for 'Spartacus: Gods of the Arena'

Starz recently unveiled the upcoming season's official poster, along with a new promo photo of John Hannah as Quintus Batiatus.

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.