Hail Caesar! However, in the time period within which the upcoming Starz drama,Spartacus: House of Ashur, is set, no one is really hailing him. At this point in history, Gaius Julius Caesar is not yet the powerful, all-conquering Roman general who became dictator of Rome. OriginalSpartacuscreator,Steven DeKnight, has returned to the world depicted in Starz’s epic series.Set in an alternate reality, one of the original series' most hated villains, Ashur (Nick Tarabay), does not meet his death at Mount Vesuvius, but instead is rewarded with the Ludus of Batiatus (John Hannah) for helping the Romans kill Spartacus and ending his rebellion. In the process of crafting his story for the upcoming sequel, DeKnight needed another key figure to return.
Todd Lasance—now ofNCIS: Sydney— played the key role of Julius Caesar in the 2010 series. While DeKnight wanted the actor to return to the role in the upcoming sequel, availability and clashing schedules halted that reunion. “We went ‘round and ‘round trying to get our schedules to align, but they were shooting basically at the same time we were,” DeKnight shared with Entertainment Weekly regarding getting Lasance on board. “It broke all of our hearts, including his. We’re crazy happy for him. We just really wished he could have come back. I know he wanted to do it, but, yeah, that’s the problem with too much success.” Ultimately, the games must go on and DeKnight opted for anotherNCIS: Sydneyalum inJackson Gallagher, for the Caesar role.
WhenSpartacus: House of Ashurpremieres, the show will capture events beginning roughly six monthsafter the events ofSpartacus: War of the Damned. A majority of the players in the original series, including Spartacus (Andy Whitfield/Liam McIntyre), Crixus (Manu Bennett) and Agron (Daniel Feuerriegel), will be no more. The field will be open for other men to raise, not just gladiators, but citizens of Rome as well.
“What I didn’t realize, and I think most common people who didn’t study, deeply, ancient Rome, is that at this point in Caesar’s life, he’s not the Caesar that we come to know. He’s not that all powerful, the guy who became dictator of Rome. What makes [Caesar] special at this point in history, is who he’s married to.”
‘Spartacus: House of Ashur’ Introduces A New Power Couple In Rome
At this point, Caesar is in the employ of Crassus, the richest man in the capital, at the story ofSpartacus: House of Ashur. Crassus’ oratorial link with the people, Caesar, is also married to Cornelia Cinna, the daughter of Lucius Cornelius Cinna,another force within the Republic. Cornelia is played byJaime Slater, who’s married to DeKnight in real life. DeKnight offers historical context to the power of House Cinna while teasing Rome’slatest power coupleinSpartacus: House of Ashur.
“A few years before our story starts, [Lucius], for all intents and purposes, fought off another guy trying to take over Rome. He was one of the most powerful figures in Rome. Cut to Caesar marries his daughter. They deeply, deeply love each other, but the cool thing about Cornelia is she’s way richer than Caesar. In fact, she’s basically funding Caesar in his life, and her name is much bigger than Julius Caesar. So everyone’s all a flutter to meet Cornelia Cinna.”
“For them, sex, drugs, and destruction are their calling card. They have these vast sensual appetites that are only exceeded by their mutual thirst for power. And these two will maneuver, manipulate, and murder anyone who gets in their way.”
