The final season of Spartacus: War of the Damned begins January 25^th on Starz.  That’s tonight! We left off last season with Spartacus and his merry band of rebels facing the full might of the Roman legion, which are not against pulling shenanigans.

I was more than happy to sit down with Manu Bennett, who plays the undefeated Gaul and Spartacus BFF, Crixus.  Manu was passionate, assured, and especially candid as he spoke about his former co-star Andy Whitfield and what awaits Crixus in the new season. Generous to a fault, he also shared some spoils of war. (Note: This interview contains spoilers.)

The Flickcast: “Be Here Now” is emblazoned on your shirt.  Can you talk about why the phrase “Be Here Now” is important to you?

Manu Bennett: “Be Here Now” was a tattoo Andy [Whitfield] had on his forearm when he was going through his cancer treatment.  There’s a documentary that’s going to be coming out soon.

Rather than not being in the know about what happened to Andy, this documentary is for people who are really interested in the show and really fell in love with Andy and I know there’s so many people out there who did. I’m sure Andy would have liked everyone to go and watch this documentary to see what cancer can destroy in this life.

The final season of Spartacus: War of the Damned is upon us starting this Friday, January 25^th on Starz. Last season we left off with Spartacus and his merry band of rebels facing the full might of the Roman army, which are as feisty as ever. I was lucky enough to sit down with the ruggedly handsome, chipper, and all around good guy to have in your corner if you happen to come across an army, Liam McIntyre. He shared some insight on the upcoming season.

The Flickcast: What has happened in the time between the ending of Vengeance and the start of this season, War of the Damned with Spartacus’ team?

Liam McIntyre: A lot, they’ve been fighting legions of Romans, so you’ll find everyone in a slightly different place. Spartacus is very much in commander mode, he doesn’t take shit from anybody, pardon.

From last year searching for a way into that leadership role and who he really is in terms of this war that they’ve gone on, he’s now very much that guy.  It’s fun to play and difficult because you can’t just play a commander, because he’s  boring.  It is all [about] the relationships with all of the generals. Each one has a different dynamic with the other and keeps kind of a shifting sands kind of feeling.

For some of us it’s been difficult to continue on with the Starz original series Spartacus after the death of its original star Andy Whitfield. We spent a lot of time with him and got to know him pretty well so when he passed away and a new actor took over the role, we didn’t exactly embrace him or the new show.

Fortunately, Liam McIntyre has proven to be a capable Spartacus and the show has continued on to great success. Now, Starz has let out details regarding when the final chapter of the saga, known as Spartacus: War of the Dammed, is going to premiere.

Here’s the full scoop from the network. We’ve also got a trailer for the new season after the break.

Beverly Hills, CA – November 6, 2012 – Today STARZ announced the premiere date for the final installment of their highly successful Spartacus franchise, “Spartacus: War of the Damned,” which will return on Friday, January 25, 2013 at 9pm ET/PT, exclusively on STARZ.

It has been a long, and let’s face it, bloody road for Spartacus but the end is near. The final installment of the Starz original series about the gladiator turned freedom fighter and his band of bulky buddies will premiere this January. By the looks of the behind-the-scenes trailer, things will end pretty much the way they started: with blood, guts, and shirtless men.

Returning to the series once again are Liam McIntyre (Spartacus), Manu Bennett (Crixus), Dustin Clare (Gannicus), Dan Feuerriegel (Agron), Cynthia Addai-Robinson (Naevia) and Ellen Hollman (Saxa). There are some new faces too with Todd Lasance as Gaius Julius Caesar,  Simon Merrells as (Marcus Crassus and Anna Hutchison as Laeta.

Spartacus: War of the Damned picks up after the defeat of the Roman commander Gaius Caludius Glaber. With several major victories against Rome under his belt, Spartacus is gaining more support for the rebels but more attention from the Romans. Will they find a way to crush the rising hero? Tune in to Starz in January 2013 to find out.

Even though the Starz series Spartacus seemed to rebound after the death of star Andy Whitfield, for us at least it was never really the same. Now word comes from Starz and the show’s creative team that the upcoming third season of Spartacus, which will be titled War of the Damned, will be the last.

“It was an extremely difficult and emotional decision for my partners and I,” series creator/executive producer Steven S. DeKnight said. “Yet, in the end, the story was best served by rolling all of the remaining action and drama of Spartacus’ journey into one stunningly epic season that will be extremely satisfying for everyone who’s been along for the ride.”

“Spartacus is a landmark series for the network which has enthralled millions of viewers and fans around the world,” Starz CEO Chris Albrecht said. “We are in agreement with our partners in the decision to conclude the story after War of the Damned, as we believe it is the best way to maintain the integrity of the series and secure its legacy.”