While still remaining to be an excellent show, Starz’ Spartacus: Blood and Sand has gone through some pretty rough times. They originally lost their star Andy Whitfield due to illness, which prompted creator Steven S. DeKnight to write a prequel season in which Whitfield was not needed. Then Whitfield bounced back and forth about being able to return, but ultimately had to decline due to uncertainty.

Normally, a major recasting is not something a studio nor producers would want to go through, as an actor like Whitfield carried the show, but the fans demanded more of the show, so they went forward with the recasting. That brought Australian actor Liam McIntyre to the top of the pile.

While having no major roles in the past, McIntyre had the look of Spartacus down, and it didn’t hurt that he looked a bit like Whitfield, either.

We got the chance to speak with McIntyre about filling these pretty big sandals, what it was like working with an already-established crew, and getting into shape using the famed “celeb boot camp” that just about every action star have had to use in order to whip into shape for a role.

Check out our interview, and if you haven’t seen any of the upcoming season of Spartacus, check out the full trailer here.

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During the panel at Comic-Con in San Diego Starz presented info on the second season of it’s flagship drama Spartacus. Among the info released at the panel were the fact that previous Spartacus star Andy Whitfield is “doing very well.”

The panel also introduced Whitfield’s replacement, actor Liam McIntyre who called succeeding Whitfield “a really nice challenge… a great privilege and a great honor… a great responsibility.” Big sandals to fill indeed.

Regarding the plan for the new season, according to the panel and Exec. Producer Steven S. DeKnight: “There’s an episode where we kill a lot of people. This season is just epic. It’s grand scale… It’s just a gigantic, gigantic season.” Also, a power struggle is about to emerge between Spartacus, Crixus and Gannicus, which should prove interesting to say the least.

Check out the video after the jump. Spartacus: Vengeance premieres on Starz later this year.

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Not sure about you but pretty much everyone here at The Flickcast is really looking forward to the upcoming Starz/BBC series Torchwood: Miracle Day. From what we’ve seen so far, it looks to be even bigger, badder (in a good way) and more action-packed than all the previous seasons of Torchwood put together.

As we’ve had before with the first trailer, we’ve got another video to help get you ready for all the fun. In this one we got a look at a lot of the action, creatures and story of the series plus interviews with the top stars, writers and producers. All in, it’s a lot of info and makes the show look even cooler (as if that’s possible).

Click through for the video. Torchwood: Miracle Day stars John Barrowman, Eve Myles, Mekhi Phifer, Bill Pullman and Lauren Ambrose. It premieres Friday, July 8th on Starz.

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Not much longer to wait now as the premiere of Torchwood: Miracle Day is is only a little over a month away. In anticipation of that great day, we’ve got a brand new trailer for the show to share with you today.

In it you get the first real look at our favorite characters in action and also a peek at some of the new ones we will be seeing during the show’s run. It’s nice to see the gang back in action.

In case you’re not familiar with the new Torchwood, it will also feature new characters and actors including Mekhi Phifer, Bill Pullman and Lauren Ambrose.
Turning to the story, here’s what its all about:

It begins with a day when nobody dies. All across the world, nobody dies. And then the next day, and the next, and the next, people keep aging, they get hurt and sick, but they never die. The result: a population boom, overnight. With all the extra people, resources are finite.

But this can’t be a natural event – someone’s got to be behind it. It’s a race against time as C.I.A. agent Rex Matheson (Phifer) investigates a global conspiracy. The answers lie within an old, secret British institute. As Rex keeps asking “What is Torchwood?,” he’s drawn into a world of adventure, and a threat to change what it means to be human, forever.

Check out the trailer after the break. Torchwood: Miracle Day premieres on July 8th at 10/9C on Starz.

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It’s no secret we are really looking forward to the new Torchwood: Miracle Day series debuting on Starz in July. Obviously, this is a pretty big deal for fans of the show as it will be a chance to see some of their favorite characters return as well as new ones teaming up with them for big time adventures in the States where the fate of the world is at stake.

The series already has mainstays John Barrowman, Eve Myles, and Kai Owen as well as newcomers Mekhi Phifer, Bill Pullman and Alexa Havins. Now, via a release from Starz, we know the series will get some great guest stars as well.

Check out the full scoop on all the action and who’s going to be on the show from the official press release from Starz:

Today, the network announced that in addition to Torchwood alumni, John Barrowman, Eve Myles, and Kai Owen and new headliners, Mekhi Phifer, Bill Pullman and Alexa Havins, that the 10-episode, hour-long series will also feature an impressive list of guest stars: Wayne Knight (“Seinfeld,” Jurassic Park), C. Thomas Howell (“Southland,” The Outsiders), Ernie Hudson (“OZ,” Ghostbusters), Nana Visitor (“Star Trek: Deep Space Nine”), John DeLancie (“Star Trek: The Next Generation”), Mare Winningham (Mildred Pierce, George Wallace) and Frances Fisher (Titanic, The Lincoln Lawyer).

Additional actors starring in the cult sensation include: Arlene Tur (“Crash,” Eat Pray Love) and Lauren Ambrose (“Six Feet Under,” The Other Woman) who join the cast in an extended guest role. The show’s original creator, writer/producer Russell T Davies, serves as executive producer along with BBC Worldwide Productions’ SVP Julie Gardner, with Davies also serving as show-runner for “Torchwood: Miracle Day.”

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If you’ve been a regular reader of this site you know we’re big fans of the BBC series Doctor Who and its companion, spin-off series Torchwood. Of course, we were thrilled to bring you the news that an all-new season of Torchwood was coming to the US on Starz featuring main characters Capt. Jack Harkness (John Barrowman) and Gwen Cooper (Eve Myles).

Now, we are also thrilled to telly you that Starz has set the premiere date for the Torchwood series and that date is Friday, July 8th at 10 E/P. In case you’re not familiar with the new Torchwood, it will also feature new characters and actors including Mekhi Phifer, Bill Pullman and, in an extended guest role, Lauren Ambrose.

Turning to the story, here’s what its all about:

It begins with a day when nobody dies. All across the world, nobody dies. And then the next day, and the next, and the next, people keep aging, they get hurt and sick, but they never die. The result: a population boom, overnight. With all the extra people, resources are finite.

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Even though the show just wasn’t the same without Andy Whitfield as Spartacus (although he did make a small cameo) that didn’t stop Spartacus: Gods of the Arena from debuting to impressive numbers last Friday night on Starz. The premiere episode of SGOTA had over 1.1 million viewers for its first run at 10 PM, 66% higher than the original series’ premiere a year ago.

In addition, the show had 1.9 million viewers combined for the 10 PM and 11 PM showings, 77% above the debut of the original series. Yes, that’s a lot of people indeed.

I’m guessing audiences were probably just hungry for more awesome gladiator action and to learn the story of the rise of the House of Batiatus. Even though, if you’ve seen the original series, you know how it all turns out for many of the characters, it was still fun to watch their first appearances and see how it all comes together.

It was especially interesting to see how Batiatus himself (John Hannah) began as quite a different person and how he will evolve into the evil man he is later in the series. In some ways its too bad this series will only be six episodes.

Although, in the end, that’s probably just enough to get us ready for season two of the original series, which is returning next year with a new actor (Liam McIntyre) taking on the role of Spartacus.

As we’ve all found out by now, Andy Whitfield won’t be retuning to season 2 of Spartacus: Blood and Sand due to illness. In addition, the search for an actor to replace him is going in and we expect to get that news pretty soon.

Until then, Starz has gone ahead and made a prequel series to Spartacus: Blood and Sand called Spartacus: Gods of the Arena, which we have the first trailer for today. The new series features some of the actors from the original show, including John Hannah (Quintus Batiatus), Lucy Lawless (Lucretia) and Peter Mensah (Doctore), but tells the story of the beginnings of the Batiatus household.

For more, here’s the official synopsis from Starz:

As the prequel begins, Quintus Batiatus is the acting Lanista while his father Titus is on an extended visit to Sicilia. But Batiatus isn’t satisfied with just the thought of taking over the Ludus one day; he aspires to political power and prestige in Capua, and perhaps beyond. In the class-conscious world of ancient Rome, the House of Batiatus must first earn the respect of both politicians and socialites before being granted the right for its gladiators to fight in the much-revered championship bouts called the Primus. Batiatus must not only survive the harsh politics of Capua, but also compel his hedonistic fighter, Gannicus, to embrace being a champion gladiator who will bring esteem and respect to the House of Batiatus.

No, this isn’t exactly the Spartacus we’ve come to know and love, but it still looks pretty fun. We’re going to give it a chance. Check out the trailer after the jump. Spartacus: Gods of the Arena premieres January 21 at 10/9C on Starz.

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This week’s pick is from the forgotten pages of colonial history which deals with the Italian colonization of Libya before WWII. Anthony Quinn stars as famed guerrilla leader Omar Mukhtar in Moustapha Akkad’s Lion of the Desert (1981) which was shot on location in Libya and was actually funded by Muammar-al-Gaddafi’s government. Other actors include Rod Steiger as Italian Fascist leader Benito Mussolini, Oliver Reed as Governor Gen. Rodolfo Graziani, Raf Vallone (Col. Diodiece), and John Gielgud (Sharif El Gariani).

Lion of the Desert shows the audience the twenty year long war that had begun when Italy was trying to rebuild an empire across the shores of the Mediterranean ‘The Fourth Shore.’ Beginning in 1911, Italy poured men and materials into Libya in order to establish a colony in North Africa just as other European nations like the French in Algeria and the British in Egypt had. The local populations which was comprised of mostly desert tribesmen fought against the Italian invaders and conflict soon escalated.

Hoping that rebellion would be put down swiftly, the fighting in Libya proved disastrous for an army that was not prepared to fight a guerrilla war. When Mussolini and his Fascists came to power in 1922, the triumphant Caesar god proclaimed that Libya would belong to the Italians and that the glory of a new Roman Empire would be recognized in the world.

The film opens up with an old fashion news reel which shows the chaotic situations which were occurring in 1929. Rod Steiger (Mussolini) appoints a six Governor Gen. (Graziani) to Libya in hopes that his reputation for ruthless tactics will put an end to this costly war for the Italian nation. Once in a power of authority, Graziani implements plans for concentration camps, the killing of livestock, burning of crops, and other brutal tactics in order to break Mukhtar’s will and to cut off aid which was given to him by many Bedouin tribes across Libya.

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With Andy Whitfield not able to return to Spartacus: Blood and Sand for season two, inevitably the show must go on as it does in Hollywood. So, that means the show’s producers need to find a new leading man to take over the title role. According to Deadline, the search for that leading man has come down to three actors.

Those three actors are: Stephen Amell, Aiden Turner and Liam McIntyre. According to the report, the three have been flown to New Zealand for screen tests and to meet with the show’s cast and crew. A final decision on who will be the next Spartacus is expected as early as this week.

In case you haven’t hear these names before, don’t feel bad. Like Whitfield, Amell (Closing the Ring), Turner (All My Children) and McIntyre (The Pacific) are relatively unknown. They do, however, all seem to have the requisite looks and physicality for the role. Still, in my mind and I’m sure the minds of many other fans, it will be very hard for any actor to replace Whitfield in a role he created and filled so very well.

That said, I’m sure the show’s producers would rather, if given the choice, not have to be facing this decision at all. I’m sure they would prefer to have Whitfield instead, as would we all. Hopefully, any actoir who takes his place will only be doing it for the short term and he will be able to return someday soon and play Spartacus, and many other roles, again.

The Spartacus prequel series, Spartacus: Gods of the Arena, is slated to premiere in January. Season Two of Spartacus: Blood and Sand is expected to begin filming soon with a projected Summer 2011 return.

If you’re a big fan of the BBC show Doctor Who and live in, or are willing to travel to Utah, this story is especially for you. According to the BBC, the upcoming Season 6 of its flagship sci-fi drama will open with a two part episode set and partially filmed in the U.S.

The opener, written by the show’s head writer and showrunner Steven Moffat, will be co-produced by BBC America, with key scenes being filmed in Utah in November. The story is set in the late ‘60s and finds the Doctor (Matt Smith), Amy (Karen Gillan) and Rory (Arthur Darvill) on a secret mission “that takes them on an adventure from the desert in Utah – right to the Oval Office.”

Also joining the show for the opener will be Alex Kingston, who reprises her role as River Song. “The Doctor has visited every weird and wonderful planet you can imagine, so he was bound get round to America eventually,” Moffat said. “And of course every Doctor Who fan will be jumping up and down and saying he’s been in America before. But not for real, not on location – and not with a story like this one! Oh, you wait!”

Okay Mr. Moffat, we’ll wait. But it won’t be easy. We don’t like waiting.

What do you guys think about Doctor Who filming in the US and Torchwood moving to the US permanently?

Sad news indeed as it seems Spartacus: Blood and Sand star Andy Whitfield won’t be able to return to the show for its second season due to health complications. According to Starz, the network which produces the show, the actor’s doctors have advised him to stop training for season two of the series and seek immediate, aggressive treatment for his illness.

The actor was first diagnosed with treatable Stage 1 non-Hodgkin Lymphoma in early March but had been in remission. He was even at Comic-Con in San Diego where we spoke to him and he seemed perfectly healthy and in good spirits, ready to begin season 2 of the series.

Starz is currently in production on a prequel series called Spartacus: Gods of the Arena which it plans to air in January and then was to begin production on season 2 of the main series following that for a planned return in mid 2011. Obviously, with this news on Whitfield’s condition, things have changed.

As fans of Whitfield and the show we are saddened to hear of his condition, We wish him all the best for a full and speedy recovery.

Click through to read the full press release from Starz.

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