Spartacus: House of Ashur Creator and Star Discuss the New Series

IGN precocious hosted a peculiar screening of the archetypal 2 episodes of Spartacus: House of Ashur successful Los Angeles earlier its two-episode premiere connected December 5. Series creator Steven S. DeKnight and prima Nick E. Tarabay were connected manus for the lawsuit and took portion successful a Q&A aft the screening wherever they discussed the series, however it came to be, and what we tin look guardant to seeing.

For those who don’t know, Spartacus: House of Ashur is an alternate past that returns to the satellite of Spartacus and follows erstwhile bid antagonist Ashur. In this version, helium lives done the events connected Mount Vesuvius and becomes proprietor of the ludus (a gladiator grooming ground) that erstwhile owned him erstwhile helium was an enslaved gladiator.

It’s been 12 years since the archetypal tally of Spartacus ended, and DeKnight said getting to enactment with Tarabay again and expanding connected the groundwork they laid for Ashur were 2 of the large reasons helium wanted to instrumentality for the show.

“The Ashur character, to me, is truthful intriguing,” helium said. “Here’s a guy, erstwhile helium archetypal got to the ludus arsenic a gladiator, helium conscionable wanted to beryllium portion of the brotherhood. I ever accidental if Ashur had gotten a hug backmost then, helium would’ve been a antithetic person. But helium was mocked and ridiculed and humiliated, and it turned him bitter. So I emotion the thought of taking this antheral and giving him a accidental to beryllium a amended person. Can helium beryllium a amended person? Or volition his demons support dragging him down?”

Tarabay expanded connected that, saying that present that the communicative is told from his perspective, we’ll spot caller facets to him that we haven’t before.

“In this season, you’ll spot a softer broadside of Ashur,” helium said. “A loving side, a benignant of susceptible broadside to Ashur. And due to the fact that of this, due to the fact that of his feelings now, he’ll bash things that you won’t deliberation that helium would do. And that’s each I tin accidental astir that.”

Through the archetypal tally of Spartacus, Ashur was the quality the assemblage loved to hate. Now he’s the protagonist and fixed a accidental astatine redemption, but Tarabay isn’t disquieted astir however the assemblage volition person him.

“My occupation arsenic an histrion is to grant the writing, that’s each I do,” helium said. “How you guys comprehend it, that’s up to you. I permission that to your imagination. I wouldn’t situation to archer you however you should consciousness oregon shouldn’t feel. Whatever you consciousness is however you feel. I bash my job, and the remainder is up to the gods.”

The archetypal tally of Spartacus included existent humanities events, but telling this caller communicative that takes spot successful an alternate timeline has allowed the amusement to stray from past successful a mode that DeKnight called “very freeing.”

“We person immoderate humanities guideposts, but aft that… In the archetypal episode, you spot Ashur breaks from past by introducing the archetypal pistillate gladiator,” DeKnight said. “Historically, that really came astir 80 years later. But present that Ashur’s alive, helium upsets history, and that’s conscionable the archetypal ripple. There are galore much surprises coming.”

While Spartacus: House of Ashur is evidently focused connected an existing character, DeKnight made it wide helium intends for the amusement to beryllium approachable for newcomers too. Episode 1 begins with a conception meant to present caller fans to the show’s world.

“We truly wanted that opening to beryllium an homage to the archetypal fans and a primer for the caller fans,” DeKnight said. “To truly acceptable the world, reset the stage, and past we’re conscionable diving close into it and we fig everybody volition drawback up.”

The amusement volition debut with a two-episode premier connected December 5 connected STARZ and the STARZ app, with consequent episodes airing each Friday afterward. The screening IGN hosted besides showed those archetypal 2 episodes, and DeKnight and Tarabay said they’re conscionable the extremity of the iceberg of what this play has to offer.

“Seriously, it’s a roller coaster,” Tarabay said. “I ever said by the clip we get to Episode 5 and from 5–10, I don’t cognize what the hell’s going on. Really, it’s truthful good. There’s a mates of episodes that I genuinely felt that we are successful a Greek tragedy, it was truthful good. And the precise past country of the archetypal play successful Episode 10, each of you are gonna beryllium like, ‘What the fuck conscionable happened? Did they truly spell there?’ I cannot wait.”