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New "Spartacus" Series Includes Lesbian Characters
The upcoming Starz drama series Spartacus: Blood and Sand will include both gay and lesbian characters, executive producer Rob Tapert told TheTorchOnline.com today. The drama stars Andy Whitfield and Lucy Lawless in a retelling of the story of the legendary rebel Roman gladiator-slave who lived in Rome from 109 BC to 71 BC and led a slave rebellion that eventually included 140,000 escaped slaves. The first season leads up to Spartacus's escape from the slave prison. Tapert is co-executive producing the series along with Sam Raimi, with whom he executive-produced Xena: The Warrior Princess. Spartacus's showrunner is Steven DeKnight, who told IGN recently, "I come from the Joss Whedon camp, so I love strong women, and I love big sweeping romantic arcs that will probably end badly, just like Joss always does." Each of the 13 episodes in the first season — which debuts on the premium network in January — reportedly cost over $2 million, and will include more graphic sex and violence than 300, says Tapert. "[The network] has given us quite a bit of rope with which to hang ourselves," he says. Filming for the series is currently taking place in New Zealand. Lawless (who is married to Tapert) plays Lucretia, the owner of the gladiator school where Spartacus (Whitfield) is imprisoned. John Hannah will play her husband, and Erin Cummings (Bitch Slap!, Dante's Cove) has been cast as Spartacus's wife. Whitfield and Cummings Tapert declined to elaborate on the gay and lesbian characters, but Lawless's character is not expected to be one of them. AfterElton.com reported in January that Tapert told reporters at the TCA Winter Press Tour, "The beauty of being on premium cable is that there is no story that we can’t tell in detail. So the gay stories are totally accessible and don’t have to be handled with kid gloves. They can be confronted head-on." DeKnight added, "There will definitely be gay characters on the show, and relationships." TheTorchOnline.com interview is the first confirmation that there will be gay women, as well as gay men, on the series. Bisexual characters are likely to be included, as well. Tapert also confirmed in an interview earlier this week that there will be no Xena movie. |
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OK this is gonna sound mean
OK this is gonna sound mean but:
Lucy Lawless is married to THAT guy? I swear sometimes this world makes absolutely no sense at all to me.
Married
Yup, and he's a really sweet guy. So please don't judge a book by its cover. God knows we love to judge...
Sure, I'm still waiting for Lucy to come to her senses and propose to Renée *lol*, and we all can dream, but I'm still capable of being respectful.
I don't mean to be mean to you either, so please forgive me if it sounded like it.
As for this show, I cannot wait! Already booked my seat for the 13 eps. Bring it on!
Offensive
Gay or not, its easy to
Gay or not, its easy to judge people. Its human nature, everyone does it, and don't pretend you don't.
But really, if you're a big fan of Lucy Lawless and you appreciate how gorgeous she is, you would just expect her to be with someone equally as gorgeous. I think that is where a lot of the shock comes from.
But on this topic... I'm really excited. I've been waiting for Lucy Lawless to get back into an Ancient Rome/Greece TV show since Xena ended. ...I'm pumped.
I'm excited too. I know
I'm excited too.
I know you didn't mean it in an offensive way. I always thought he was very unattractive.
Gorgeous is ...
Gorgeous is in the eye of the beholder and that beholder is Lucy for her Rob.
One of the behind the scene special documentaries for FIN has Rob directing Lucy and stylist prior to the next shot. Lucy is not paying any attention to the direction about how her hair should be and is just standing there with goo-goo eyes for the man she loves. When Rob finally leaves director mode and notices Lucy goo-goo stare, Lucy puts her feelings into words and states "You are so handsome".
Compassion. A great gift. Never lose it.
Thinking Alike
I was gonna say pretty much the same thing...
Well - as long as he makes her exquisitly happy :) Otherwise - Lucy I'm right here waiting for you ;)...
huh?
They've been married for over ten years now. This isn't news. ;)
And hey, don't judge people merely by their looks. That's shallow.
>.< .....Rob Tapert is a
it does sound mean ;) but
You're right about one thing.
It does sound mean.
What do you know about him? Or her? Or their history and relationship?
I've been a Xenite since the early days of the show. I was lucky enough to have attended more than one Xena convention, including one where Lucy and Renee were in attendance.
Rob helped Lucy become an internationally recognized star. They became friends. He was there for her after her Tonight Show injury. They fell in love, got married, and have stayed married. Rob became a father to Daisy, Lucy's daughter from a previous marriage, and their family grew with more children. They love each other and make each other happy.
THAT guy is a successful, creative, hardworking, funny, supportive, and kind man. THAT guy loves Lucy, and she loves him. It makes perfect sense that Lucy is married to Rob.
oooh this series story
i wish i had starz
Lucy is SO HOT!
This is incredible! I CAN NOT WAIT to see this! I am so damned excited! Been waiting for this!
Charis.xX
"...I have less and less control and I'm more dis inhibited every day...I, don't know that I can quite help myself any more, and ah, and I don't really care to, perhaps that's more to the point..."Lucy Lawless - 10.30.2008
And this is why I love this site.
How have I not heard about this until now?? Probably because I'm cheap and don't have anything better than basic cable. Well that will have to change. Though I am saddened Lawless won't play a bi or lesbian character, I can live with just watching her do anything. Picking her nose, eating noodles, clipping her toe nails. I don't care. She has talent and makes anything on screen better.
Also, EXTREMELY excited about Bitch Slap. What's going on with that?
________________
"C'mere and gimme a cuddle."
Tweet, tweet. Follow my Twitter ramblings @ Dropkickit
Yay!
Really looking forward to this. Raimi and Tappert are pretty good at the lesbian romance thing. ;)
At the time, Xena & Gabrielle's relationship portrayal was unique for television. :)
Yup! Ditto.
I agree with you totally.
In addition, sex scenes have their place, but I totally loved Xena and Gabrielle's relationship just as it was portrayed by Lucy and Renee. Their love for one another did not have to be shoved at us, it was just there.
Compassion. A great gift. Never lose it.
sounds really cool
Aww!
What does "don't have starz" mean?
Is the show lacking in celebrities?
Does "starz" mean cable, internet access? Access to the show?
Well once I know! I will help!
What is Starz
Hmmm!
Lucy Lawless is such a wonderful actress!
I really am excited for this show!
Interesting
Too bad I don't watch enough TV to warrant buying cable much less premiums. If it's good I'll buy the season when it's out. Sounds like it could be really good or just mediocre.
As for Lucy/Rob combo: We all get old. And no one survives the ravages of age without help from a surgeon. lol. He's just comfortable being who he is. Pretty average guy who is apparently also a very awesome guy. It probably helps that beauty isn't as imposed on men. If he were an actor, maybe, but he's not. Not to mention, he's got someone as hot as his wife thinking he's the cat's meow. Why fix it if it's not broken.
Damn, I know how that feels and I'll tell you folks, it's wonderful but wearing at the same time.
~Without risk, there can be no innovation. Without innovation, there can be no advancement. ~
spartacus
Can't wait
Can't wait...and...
PLEASE LET REN O'CONNOR BE ON IT TOO, PLEASE LET REN O'CONNOR BE ON IT TOO, PLEASE LET REN O'CONNOR BE ON IT TOO.
I know that Ren, Lucy and Rob all work well together and Ren is good friends with them both so it would be a no-brainer right?
BTW...just because they say Lucy's character won't be gay...you never know! And maybe Ren O'Connor could play a lesbian character who wooes Lucy's character away from her husband.
I can dream...but either way...SO EXCITED for this show.
Spartacus and Tapert
One thing that no one has mentioned here is the fact that Rob Tapert is the creative genius behind the Xena storyline as well as casting both Lucy and Renee. A guy who can imagine a love between two women as deep and beautiful as Xena and Gabrielle's can't be all bad.
In one feature on Friend In Need, Lucy, Rob, and Renee are watching the famous "kiss" scene and Renee is recalling that day on set. Lucy just laughs and looks at Rob, saying, "All I remember is you [yelling], 'Kiss her! Kiss her!'"
How can Lucy go for someone who is less than the ideal man? How could Gabrielle take up with the incarnation of evil that was the Destroyer of Nations?
Given Lucy's public statements regarding the perfect mate, I'm sure Rob's brain and heart are the most attractive part about him.
IMHO,
Seana James
Tapert and Raimi ^_^
Im very excited about this new show =D. At first it was yay! more lucy goodness on tv again ^_^!
Now that more details are coming out its sounds like its going to be great. Im a huge Evil dead fan, and 30 days of night was awesome. Sam and Rob have yet to dissappoint me.
In response to the first comment, rob is such a sweet and awesome guy, i think hes adding lgbt folks just like he would heterosexuals, making them a part of the world they are creating because thats the way it is irl. Lucy, Renee, Rob & company have always been so great with their fan base and supportive of the lgbt community. And I think he may be the biggest xena gab shipper out there lol.
Rob and Sam need to get Renee on board ^_^!
I doubt Renee is going to be on it
Renee has mentioned she is tired of getting offers of only Gabrielle type characters. As much as she loved doing Xena the show has been over a long time, and there will be no move, so we should just enjoy them with the work they do. I know it's hard for some people to move on past XWP but it is time, enjoy watching the eps on DVD, but there will no more new Xena and Gabrielle. I doubt she will appear on the show unless it is a part so different then she has ever done or has nothing in common with Gabrielle (o:
As for the comment about Rob's looks, beauty is in the eye of the beholder so obviously Lucy loves him very much. She has also been extremely generous to her lesbian fans doing much in the way of entertaining us. How about we accord her and her husband some respect. Besides Rob knows what kind of fans will be the first to watch Spartacus, and while Lucy may not play the part of a women who loves sex with either gender, he will most likely have some hot lesbians for us to drool over. Otherwise how is he going to get us to watch it for more then just seeing Lucy? Certainly by not overdosing us with heterosexual scenes with no f/f fun. He knows what made XWP popular, and which fans still follow his work.
Renee and Lucy...
I dont think anyone expects either actress to play roles like those again. Theres a chemistry between them that is a pleasure to watch on screen and off. It would be nice if they could do something together, i wouldnt put it past rob =). Im sure he can find something completely different for her to play, maybe a villain, lol. Anyway, one can dream ^_^.
NO.XENA.MOVIE????????
WHY????????????????
"But just came out of the closet i don't wanna go back in..."
spartacus
I'm really excited about
I'm really excited about this as I was a big fan of the BBC/HBO series Rome and Xena. I guess it's too early to know if it will make its way to the UK.......?????
Sad news about the Xena movie though :-(
I was just about to cancel
I was just about to cancel Starz too. Because of their stupid copyright, my dvd player will no longer record their channel, or any of them except SHO. And what's the point of those channels if you can't record, right?
But what about Renee O'Conner?
I was all excited until I
Not shallow. Reality.
I am one of those people who fell in love with X:WP and was hugely disappointed. The reason is it offered so much--but ultimately destroyed so much when Rob Tapert ignored the show's epic premise he led fans through and went with Brutal Violence and an Eternity of Heartache instead. He couldn't resist beheading Xena and forever separating X and G and leaving that as the show's legacy.
X:WP was the success it was because of LL and ROC together, their chemistry, and, for their die-hard fans--the possibility that X&G were a lesbian couple, a crazy-making issue that was only resolved after the show ended. Other than that, really, what would have made it the sensation it was in the LGBT community, particularly afterwards? They kept ratings up throughout the show by keeping the relationship ambivalent. But to never resolve the debate that they were a couple until after the show ended?
The show collected its faithful lesbian fan base with a quasi lesbian yes/no tease for six years and continues that teasing with annual X:WP Conventions and talk of "fixing" the show's legacy with a movie that will never happen.
X:WP had enough to draw me into the genre, but again? LL straight? No ROC? All the elements that drew me in the first time are absent. And why would I sign up for something involving LL already doomed to "end badly"? Once was more than enough for me.
Whoo hoo! Yay for Spartacus!
Lezzie characters? More sex and nudity than 300?! (Ooh, just the mention of that film gets me in a tizzy thinking about Lena's lovely goods!) Bring it on! And with Lucy and Erin Cummings - I'll cross my fingers that their two characters will meet in a bedroom...or hottub!
Yes, I was bummed to read about no Xena film as well. Sigh...that's what years and years of Xena fan fic is for!
Yay!
If Lucy's in it, I'm there!
spartacus
Okay how excited am I, Lucy Lawless is back! Love that woman! I'm really looking forward to spartacus.
I love everything Rob Tapert and Sam Raimi do!!! I agree that if they could get Renee on board, that would be fantastic. The dream team returns!
looks like I'll be ordering Starz.
Wow
great!! love
great!! love Lucy!
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