The original cover

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Q: Almost everyone knows about the 6-part 1988 British TV series The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe (and the sequel series), but I recently came upon an earlier version: an animated movie that came out in 1978. Is it any good? — Daniel, Decatur, IL

A:The 1978 movie, which was directed and co-written by Bill Menendez (the guy who did the Peanuts specials), is considered a respectable adaptation, remembered fondly by kids of the era, despite having sub-par animation. Not surprisingly, it was released on DVD in 2005, around the time of the movie.

But there’s actually an even earlier version of the first book in C.S. Lewis’ classic series: a 10-part TV series, also from the BBC, from 1967.

Not surprisingly, the special effects were considered very weak — although the production has been given points for bravery and ingenuity.

Before you ask, no, the series is not available — in fact, reportedly only the first and eighth episodes still exist.

Q: How do you pronounce “geas”? — Mike, Oakland, CA

A: “GEE-ass” or “GYASS,” both with a hard “g.”

Q: Why does your site regard Spartacus to be a fantasy show? I always thought of it as a historical/action/drama show, but not as a fantasy. I’m not criticizing, it’s just something I’m curious about. Now, Xena and Hercules clearly belong in the fantasy genre and of course shows like True Blood, Supernatural, and even Witchblade, but Spartacus? I really don’t see it. I thought that until now it was a pretty good interpretation/retelling of events that took place. Of course they have taken creative liberties — like in every show — but if you call Spartacus fantasy, is Rome fantasy too? – Elvira

The Oracle Speaks:

It’s a fair question.

Here at TheTorchOnline.com, we define “fantasy” very broadly. First, we ask: does it include some kind of magic or element of the supernatural? Spartacus doesn’t qualify here (although there’s certainly a question of Spartacus’ grand “destiny,” which is played way up in the series). In most cases, that might be the end of the discussion.

But with Spartacus, we’ve decided there’s a definite comic book “sensibility” that tips it over into the fantasy category: the sex and violence are graphic and extreme, the plots and themes are larger-than-life, very much like a superhero. And then there’s the fantasy pedigree: co-creator Rob Tapert (creator of Xena), Lucy Lawless, Sam Raimi, and others.

We think this makes it squeak in as “low fantasy” (as opposed to “high fantasy,” which is classic swords and sorcery).

Ditto with this summer’s The Pillars of the Earth mini-series, which we also covered. The “magic” in the series was really only hinted at — if that. But we thought the medieval setting and the larger-than-life themes made it of interest to fantasy enthusiasts.

Would Rome qualify? Since that seems much more like straight historical drama — not even “action,” and definitely not “comic book” or “superhero vibe” — that seems like much more of a stretch.

Ultimately, though, labels are just labels –  helpful to arrange information, but absolutely nothing to get bogged down over. In the end, what we cover here depends on what interests us. Smallville doesn’t, and never has, so we don’t really cover it, despite being pretty clearly “fantasy.”

On the other hand, every single person here went off-the-charts nuts for Spartacus. If we all loved it so much, we could only assume that most other fantasy enthusiasts would love it too.

Q: Did Jimmy ever get home from Living Island in H.R. Pufnstuf? What about the kid in Lidsville or the family in Land of the Lost? — Mammy, The House of Elrond (movie version), Middle Earth

A: Weirdly, none of these characters in Sid and Marty Krofft’s infamous Saturday morning TV shows ever made it home — owing mostly due to the fact that it was never known at the time of filming if the series was going to be renewed.

Indeed, in “Circle,” the last episode of the first season of Land of the Lost, the Marshalls discover that their own deaths in the Land of the Lost are what caused the “time doorway” that drew them there in the first place to open. This was intended to be a possible “finale” for the series — but it ended up being renewed for two more seasons (the Marshalls’ “deaths” notwithstanding).

Lidsville and Pufnstuf both had “farewell” episodes of sorts, though they were “clip” shows, recycling old material — probably for both budgetary reasons, and in case the shows ended up being renewed. Neither involved a return home.

In fact, though these shows were pretty influential (and are fondly remembered by many), their actual number of episodes is lower than you might think: there was only one season, 17 episodes each, of H.R. Pufnstuf and Lidsville, and only 43 episodes of Land of the Lost.

They were, however, repeated endlessly on TV, perhaps giving the illusion of more story than there actually was.

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Five Torches (Out of Five)

Here at TheTorchOnline.com, we’ve long made our feelings known about Starz Spartacus: Blood and Sand, which we thought was easily one of the best TV shows of the season — and just as easily one of the best, most satisfying fantasy TV shows all time.

The first season is now out on DVD, in Spartacus: Blood and Sand: The Complete First Season (also available on Blu-ray), and this isn’t a review of the show itself, but rather this entire DVD package, which includes the whole season, but also plenty of other special features.

So how is it?

Andy Whitfield and Jai Courtney in "edible" mud

In a word: terrific. This is a DVD that is absolutely worthy of the accomplishment that is this show itself.

Clearly, Starz was hoping from the start that the show would be the break-out hit that it became, because cameras were there from the very beginning, documenting everything for the “special features” on the DVD.

As a result, we get to see the “gladiator boot camp” where the cast was sent a month before filming began, to get in shape for the shoot (Andy Whitfield apparently buffed up fast!). We get to see various behind-the-scenes elements, like when Andy Whitfield gets an entire body cast, to preserve the location of his “scars.” And we see Andy Whitfield and Jai Courtney submerged in sewage, after they’re punished (interestingly, the muck is edible!).

Not surprisingly, we see a lot Whitfield, all pre-stardom, and he comes across as a fun, funny, humble, shockingly decent guy — and it’s pretty damn bittersweet, knowing that he’s since been diagnosed with cancer and the initial treatments were not successful, so he’s had to withdraw from the show and have his part recast.

Since the entire show was famously shot on “CGI” sets — a little bit of “real” set mixed in with a lot of computer imagery — the behind-the-scenes shots are particularly interesting. What was real? Not a lot, and it’s absolutely fascinating to see.

The DVD also features video interviews with creators Rob Tapert and Steven DeKnight, and audio commentary for all the episodes from key talent, including Andy Whitfield and Lucy Lawless (who is her usual hilarious and ribald self).

Admittedly, the featurettes are short and punchy — not the hour-long slogs in the Lord of the Rings DVD (maybe this means I’m not as much of a geek as I thought, but still haven’t made it all the way through some of those more obscure Rings featurettes). But I have a hard time imagining that anyone except maybe a scholar writing a masters thesis on the show will come away from this DVD thinking they want more information.

In short, this DVD package is a masterpiece befitting the show itself.

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EW.com is reporting that the producers of Spartacus are recasting the role of Spartacus, previously played by Andy Whitfield, who was forced to bow out last month after his treatment for state 1 non-Hodgkin lymphoma turned out to be unsuccessful.

The Spartacus casting notice calls for a male in his 30s to play the “smart, intense, passionate” title role with a British accent, and that they be prepared to sign a three-year contract.

The cancer of Andy Whitfield, star of the Starz series Spartacus: Blood and Sand, has returned, and he has been advised by his doctors to resume “aggressive treatment.” Whitfield, diagnosed with stage 1 non-Hodgkin lymphoma in March, was thought to be in remission.

The network announced today that he will not be returning to star in the second season of the series, which had been scheduled for September 2011.

Here is the full statement from the network:

It’s with a deep sense of disappointment that I must step aside from such an exceptional project as Spartacus and all the wonderful people involved. It seems that it is time for myself and my family to embark on another extraordinary journey. Thank you sincerely for the support so far,” said Whitfield.

“Our hearts and prayers are with Andy and his family during this difficult time,” said Starz President and CEO Chris Albrecht. “Andy is not only an incredible actor whose portrayal of Spartacus made an indelible impression on Starz audiences, he is also an amazing human being whose courage, strength, and grace in the face of adversity have inspired all of us.”

No decisions have yet been made about the future of the series. “Right now, we just want to extend our concern and support to Andy and his family,” said Carmi Zlotnik, Managing Director, Starz Media. “We will address our programming plans at some later date.”

Starz still plans to air the prequel to Spartacus: Blood and Sand in January 2011. Entitled Spartacus: Gods of the Arena, it focuses on the House of Batiatus before Spartacus arrives in Capua and stars returning cast members John Hannah, Lucy Lawless, Peter Mensah and Manu Bennett, along with newcomer Dustin Clare.

The reaction is almost always the same. When I tell people that I’m the associate editor of a fantasy website, a look of surprise, understanding, and finally quiet judgment passes over their faces, forcing me to explain, “Harry Potter fantasy. Not, like, whips and leather fantasy.”

The relief I then see is priceless.

But should I be so quick to distance myself from the whips-and-leather crowd? While fantasy does have a kid-friendly, wizards-and-adventure side, I think it would be naive to suggest that there aren’t some people who utilize the trappings of the genre to explore their sexual kinks. All one has to do is run a Google Image search of “fantasy art,” and you’ll very quickly wind up with images like this:

What one finds in much fantasy art is a remarkably common theme of sexuality, which often has a heavy BDSM element. (To the uniformed, that stands for Bondage, Discipline, and Sadomasochism.)

Sometimes, the bondage theme is explicit and openly embraced, such as in the Kushiel novels of Jacqueline Carey, whose main character is a bisexual masochist who finds sexual pleasure in being tortured. (You can read TheTorchOnline.com’s interview with Carey here.)

But sometimes the S&M factor is played more coyly, giving us bondage-themed imagery without ever truly owning it. In the ’50s and ’60s, there were a plethora of beefcake movies, such as the Hercules films starring Steve Reeves, featuring oiled-up hunks and sexy babes alike constantly bound in chains and other restraints.

Most of these movies were terrible by the standards of anyone who wants their films to have a plot. Mostly they played out like fodder for one scene after another of sexy skin pressed against chains.

The very concept of a damsel in distress has a flavoring of S&M, as a helpless maiden is often tied up and must be rescued. Return of the Jedi even showcased series heroine Leia in what has become the iconic, quintessential S&M-tinted damsel outfit — the infamous gold bikini — before employing a post-feminist twist and having her kill her captor herself. But nonetheless, the image of Leia bound and chained like a slave girl has inspired many a young libido to get started.

The trend followed through into the ’90s, where it began to take a more subtle approach. The character of Xena, perhaps the most enduring high fantasy creation of the last 20 years, certainly bore a striking resemblance to a dominatrix, with her leather outfit and arsenal of weapons, a whip very prominently among them.

And how many times throughout the course of the series did we see Xena chained and beaten? She even sometimes seemed to enjoy fighting an opponent who could get his or her licks in, absorbing the blows with a satisfied smile.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer certainly went there, most notably in the sixth season when Buffy began her mutually-abusive relationship with bad boy vamp Spike. Their first session together was so violent it destroyed the entire house they were in.

But as time marches on, the BDSM themes became more overt. Even the family-friendly series Legend of the Seeker features the Mord’Sith, an army of women dressed entirely in leather who specialize in torturing their victims. In one memorable episode, noble hero Richard is stripped and given the royal treatment by “Mistress Denna,” a dominatrix name if ever I heard one.

The vampire soap True Blood raised the bar, as virtually every sexual relationship on the show contains some form of sado-masochistic violence at its core. The show even boasts a brand-new fetish called fangbanging — that is, living humans who prefer to have sex exclusively with vampires. The moments on the show relevant to this article are far too many to mention, from Jason’s romance with a watiress who likes to be strangled in the firs season to Lorena’s twisted, torturous rendezvous with Bill a few episodes ago.

But the Golden Handcuff Award has to go to new kid on the block Spartacus: Blood and Sand. The entire first season’s plot plays out like an elaborate bondage fantasy, with a houseful of sexy slaves to be commanded and used at the pleasure of the masters, oversexed couple Batiatus and Lucretia.

No doubt, there are many fantasy fans who don’t respond to these particular themes. But it would be naive to suggest there isn’t a connection, at least for some, between the fantasy genre and very specific sexual leanings.

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Q: Given all the sex and violence in Spartacus: Blood and Sand, will there be anything new in the “uncut” DVD version? — Wayne, Lakewood, CO

The Oracle Speaks:

“There actually isn’t a ton of stuff on the cutting room floor,” Spartacus executive producer Steven DeKnight recently told a gathering of critics in L.A. “Especially in television, you don’t over-shoot like you will on a film. There are some things, mostly of a sexual nature, on the DVD. One involving — I believe we put this shot back — an extra shot of, if you remember the gladiator Segovax that came to a very painful, unfortunate end when they castrated him at the end of that episode. There is an extra shot of him in there that you might not want to see.”

As for sex, he said, “There’s also in episode, I believe it’s [episode] six, in the gladiator orgy scene, there is some additional material. But  practically everything we shoot ends up on the screen.”

Q: I don’t mean this the way it sounds (or maybe I do!), but why did God create the Tree of Knowledge? He had to have created it — he created everything, right? But he already had that knowledge, so why create it at all? It seems like the whole point was to tempt Adam and Eve — I mean, who doesn’t want knowledge? And why is wanting that a bad thing? Would you invite your friends over, make this incredible-looking chocolate cake, and then say to them, “But you can’t have any!” I’m trying to be fair to God here, but it seems like He was being a major jerk. – Justin, Friday Harbor, WA

The Oracle Speaks:

The sad truth is that God comes off like an off-the-charts jerk in much of the Old Testament – which is precisely why it can’t, and shouldn’t, be taken literally.

The Bible isn’t an historical record: it’s a collection of myths and legends designed to explain a certain philosophical and spiritual point-of-view. (In the pre-scientific, non-rational ancient world, it was also used to explain natural world truths, but using it the same way today, in a post-scientific world, is, well, stupid.)

What philosophical point is the story of the Garden of Eden and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (its full name) trying to explain?

That the world is far from a perfect place and that, seemingly unlike most other creatures on this planet, we are “cursed” to have an awareness of our plight and of our own mortality.

The Tree of Knowledge also represents free will, a fundamental component in most Western religious thinking. In God’s defense in the story, free will is pointless, symbolically and literally, without other choices. Since God gave Adam and Eve free will, he had to give them the option to “opt out” of paradise.

(Although the story doesn’t quite hang together here, does it? Isn’t free will meaningless without knowledge?)

Furthermore, the Garden of Eden story establishes perhaps the most fundamental component of the Judeo-Christian world-view: that human beings are fundamentally flawed and incomplete, and can only be made whole through a relationship with God (and religion).

Incidentally, I personally disagree with most of the points of the Garden of Eden story and its extremely negative view of the human condition: I don’t agree that human beings are fundamentally flawed in needing of salvation, or that human knowledge is a curse, or that the desire for it is a bad thing.

In this Oracle’s opinion, the limited world-view of the Garden of Eden story would infect Western religious thinking for generations to come, with the forces of religion being on the wrong side of almost every intellectual leap forward, before and since the Enlightenment.

And now The Oracle must go lie down. His head hurts. Next week, we go back to talking about Lucy Lawless’s breasts.

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Q: So I must know: will Lucy Lawless be back in the second season — not the “prequel” — of Spartacus? Basically, did she die in the finale? — MAGPIE, Toronto, Canada

The Oracle Speaks:

First, a spoiler alert.

“She was still twitching at the end of Season 1, if you look,” Spartacus‘ executive director Steven DeKnight said at the recent Television Critics Association conference in L.A.

In other words, yes, she’ll be back, not just in the prequel, but also in the subsequent second season.

“You know, the original plan with Lucy and that character was to kill her at the end of the season,” DeKnight said. “Basically we had John Hannah and Lucy Lawless for only one season. That’s what we could get them for. Towards the end of Season One, Lucy was having such a great time, and we all loved her so much, there was interest in bringing her back. And I got a call from Rob Tapert saying, ‘Starz called, and they’d really like Lucy to come back, and you know, Lucy really wants to come back,’ and I said, ‘Absolutely not. She’s got to die. That’s the way the story goes.’”

But DeKnight soon changed his mind, he said. “The next day I called him up and said, ‘Rob, I got an idea. And we’re thrilled to have — Lucy will be back in Season Two. And where the story goes with her is really something special. I’m very excited about that.”

What of John Hannah? “John Hannah is a little harder to bring back, obviously,” DeKnight joked.

Q: Are lembas magic or is it just a really, really impressive Powerbar recipe? — Jonah, Dallas, TX

The Oracle Speaks:

We know what Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson thinks: in the movies, one bite of lembas bread “is enough to fill the stomach of a grown man” — which is, of course, physically impossible, so magic must be involved.

But in the book, it’s a little different: “one cake” is enough for “a full day’s march,” which is much closer to the laws of physics and means that magic isn’t necessarily involved.

Still, there are repeated references to the fact that lembas don’t just sustain the body; they also sustain the spirit.

“Lembas does put heart into you,” J.R.R. Tolkien writes. “A more wholesome sort of feeling.” And Gollum can’t eat the bread.

This could, of course, all be psychological; when eating lembas, people often think of the elves (and the beauty of Galadriel), which could definitely provide a psychological boost.

But then there’s the fact that the elves, who created lembas, are an immortal, magical race — literally created by the magic of Eru IIuvater. Everything they do is suffused with magic — although not necessarily magic of the spellbook and incantation sort.

And come on: one thin cake for a full day’s march?

Count on it. Lembas are magic.

A more interesting question is why is the word always italicized when plenty of other elven words are not?

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This past January, Spartacus: Blood and Sand premiered on the Starz network to much hype and expectation, and in a truly shocking twist, it actually delivered.

The show almost immediately gained a cult following which soon became legion, an army of fans who just couldn’t get enough of the adventures in the ancient gladiator training camp. While many critics turned their noses up at the excessive gore and violence (not to mention the generous helpings of full-frontal nudity and sex scenes), websites across the blogosphere began to pop up, honoring the new series. That Spartacus was a hit, there can be no doubt.

On its surface, Spartacus was the ultimate guys’-guy show. Each episode seemed to be injected with a superdose of testosterone, and with each limb that was excised from a body, the fans became more and more bloodthirsty. The thirteen-episode first season culminated in what has to be one of the most shocking, blood-soaked climaxes in the history of television, in which Spartacus and his fellow slaves rebel and lay waste to an entire houseful of Roman citizens, brutally murdering men, women, and children.

Just as the network promised, Spartacus pushed the envelope farther than any show that had come before it.

But it did even more than expand the limits of violence and nudity on television. It accomplished a much higher goal, and it did this — if you can believe it — subtly.

Spartacus is the first of its kind: a guys’ show that is inclusive of women, minorities, and gay and bisexual characters, without ever calling attention to itself for this fact. It never pats itself on the back for being forward-thinking. There was never a “very special” episode of Spartacus that dealt with a character’s sexual identity, or a story in which they learn that beyond our skin color, we’re all really the same.

Spartacus just assumed this to be true, and in a rare display, it respected its audience enough to assume they would be on the same page.

So were they?

Most of them were. But not all, of course. Recently, series showrunner Steven S. Deknight spoke to TheTorchOnline.com writer Michael Jensen about the show’s two most significant gay characters, Barca and Pietros, who were killed halfway though the first season.

MJ: You’ve had some time since the season ended and people reacted to what happened with Barca and Pietros. Has any of the negative reactions changed how you write gay characters? Do you feel like you’re more aware of the issues than you were before?

SD: It still comes down to the story and what works best for the characters. The only time I had a reaction to anything that’s said, is every once in a while I’ll come across a comment on the Facebook site or the official site, and I’m sure all your readers have read similar things, where someone will say—usually a guy—”I love the show but can you cut out all the gay shit.” That’s the only thing that will trigger a violently negative response from me.

For me, and I think Rob too, it’s even more reason to continue including that in the story until people come to accept it. I don’t understand how you can watch Season 1 and fixate on that, especially when I think the Barca/Pietros storyline was beautiful and tragic. I was very heartened that even people who were a little uncomfortable with the gay content, when Barca got killed, they were very upset and very moved, which I think is a step in the right direction.

MJ: And a testament to the storytelling and the acting. You guys were able to overcome that internalized prejudice people have. Now, the show obviously had a lot of female nudity, but it had more male nudity than any show I’ve ever seen. It was very homoerotic, yet clearly it was a smash success. The show was hugely popular. Did you expect more negative reaction or less?

SD: I’m honestly always surprised by negative reactions to sexual content, language content, I was even surprised by some of the negative reaction to the violence in the show. For me, I look at shows at being entertaining and hopefully moving, but first and foremost our job is to entertain. I look at the show as something I would love to watch even if I wasn’t working on it. Sometimes I have to remind myself that I live in Los Angeles and things are a little bit different here, as they are in any big city. I’m always shocked when other people are shocked.

There are moments in the show where I’m like, “Oh, alright. I understand you being shocked when Segovax is castrated.” I mean, I cringed myself. At the end of the day, the important thing for us is we’re not actively trying to promote any single agenda. Everything comes together because we’re just trying to tell the best story we can, and if there’s a little bit of social activism in there, all the better.

Deknight casually makes a reference to social activism as an almost incidental side effect of their storytelling, but that is where the show is truly remarkable. That the show could be considered progressive is not a statement they’re attempting to make. It just is.

As stated above, the show has its share of gay and bisexual characters, and there are more to come in the coming seasons. Both Barca and Pietros were also people of color, as are other prominent characters like Doctore and Naevia. And speaking of Naevia, she was one of a batch of strong, resourceful women showcased on the show, in such company as Lucretia, Illyithia, and Mira.

Spartacus is an action show for the 21st century, truly the first of its kind. It is a landmark series and should be applauded for that fact. Of course, in a perfect world, such inclusion wouldn’t be newsworthy. But until we reach that day, it’s a good thing we have shows like Spartacus.

Last week, we reported on Spartacus: Gods of the Arena, the six-episode Spartacus “prequel” series coming in January, created as a result of star Andy Whitfield’s bout with cancer.

But what of the second full season that the producers were already working on when Whitfield’s cancer was discovered?

“The thing about Season 2 is it’s a bit of a different show,” showrunner and executive producer Steven DeKnight tells us. “We start down the path of what most people know about Spartacus — how this rebellion came together. But what always interested me is not that everybody broke out and it was, ‘Rah rah! We’re together! Let’s band together and form an army!’ It’s very contentious. There are a lot of mistakes made. It takes quite a while before they build anything close to an army.”

In other words, if it wasn’t already clear, Starz’s TV Spartacus is a far cry from the version of the story seen in the 1960 Kirk Douglas movie.

“As much as I love the Kubrick/Kirk Douglas movie, [the real history] was not a merry band of people,” DeKnight says. “There was a lot of this faction breaking off and looting and pillaging and then coming back, and there was a lot of infighting. What I take from that, and what I want to illustrate in the show, is that all that infighting comes from personal perspective and people’s desires and passions: some people wanting to be purely free and others wanting revenge. It is all a big mess.”

And, of course, the character of Spartacus will be in the center of the mess.

“One of the things I love working with Spartacus is he’s a hero, but as we’ve seen in Season 1, he doesn’t always do the right thing,” DeKnight says. “He can be reactionary, and he can let his passions drive him, which is something we want to explore. We want to explore how to take this man from that to a true, true leader. We saw a little of that at the end of Season 1.

“Tempers certainly flare quite a bit [in season 2]. Even among heroes there are betrayals, and people who think they are doing the best thing, and people who do the wrong things for the right reasons. It’s a slippery slope. It’s a learning curve for everyone involved in the story.”

What of the first season’s cliffhanger-like ending, where it wasn’t quite clear who was alive and who was dead, especially Lucy Lawless’s Lucretia character?

“I’m of two minds with the cliffhanger season finale [in general],” DeKnight says. “Sometimes it works: I have to go back to Season 2 or 3 of Star Trek: The Next Generation with the Borg and Jean Luc and the cliffhanger ending. But honestly in this day and age with so many channels, you just don’t know if you’re coming back, so my goal with this show is to have a thrilling conclusion to each season, but it’s a conclusion.

“So if it doesn’t come back you can say, ‘Yeah, I would have loved to know what happens next,’ but it’s not like this person is in a burning building and this one is going down in an airplane. Who lived? What happened? I want to put a firm exclamation mark on the end of each season. We’ve got a damn good one coming up in Season 2 and, I think, at the end of the prequel.”

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Clare, Ramirez, Murray

Dustin Clare, a popular Australian actor, has been cast as the lead of Spartacus: Gods of the Arena, a six-episode “prequel” Spartacus series that Starz put into production when lead actor Andy Whitfield was struck with cancer.

Clare plays Gannicus, a gladiator who becomes champion of the Capua prior to Spartacus’ arrival.

Whitfield, who has recovered from cancer treatment, will have a small role in two of the series’ episodes.

Spartacus actors Lucy Lawless, John Hannah, Peter Mensah, and Manu Bennett are also returning, in more substantial roles.

Other new actors joining Clare will be Jaime Murray, who plays a social-climbing friend of Lucy Lawless’s Lucretia, and Marisa Ramirez, who plays a slave-girl.

Spartacus: Gods in the Arena will air next January. A second “regular” season featuring Whitfield will reportedly begin production later this year.

The Starz network really put itself on the map this year with the breakout success of its flagship original series, Spartacus: Blood and Sand. The low-fantasy sword-and-sorcery epic attracted a huge following, largely due to the fact that it was just so original – there really was no other series like it. (And we really dug it here at TheTorchOnline.com!)

When the schedule for the upcoming season was announced, it was interesting to note that the network had added not one but two more fantasy or fantasy-ish series with Camelot and Pillars of the Earth (a mini-series). They’re also co-producing the next season of the UK sci-fi series Torchwood in collaboration with the BBC.

This, from a network whose only other original programming is currently a couple of reality shows (non-fantasy programming like Party Down was recently canceled).

Pillars of the Earth isn’t exactly fantasy, but rather historical fiction, set in Medieval England and focusing on an architect named Jack Jackson.

From Starz:

“This epic tale of passion and greed begins when a mysterious secret disrupts the succession to the English crown and an unlikely member of King Henry’s family takes the throne. A power struggle between Henry’s daughter, Maud, and nephew, Stephen, causes England to be torn by war as battles rage for the rightful heir. Meanwhile, Bishop Waleran Bigod and the Hamleigh family manipulate the conflict to satisfy their own ruthless ambitions. Within this tumultuous setting, Prior Philip fights insurmountable obstacles to keep Kingsbridge and his dream of building a magnificent cathedral alive. The task is daunting, but master-mason Tom Builder, his gifted stepson, Jack, and noblewoman Aliena work together to achieve their dreams. And in the process, the long-hidden secret is revealed.“

Despite its lack of magic, I’m going to hazard a guess that Pillars will have enough palace intrigue to keep readers of TheTorchOnline.com satisfied.

Their other medieval England series, Camelot, is yet another adaptation of Arthurian legend — apparently, the landscape has room enough for this and Merlin. Production has yet to begin, and no word has come out yet as to whether the tone will be similar to Spartacus – over the top, stylized, comic book aesthetic — or a more sober, serious Arthurian affair, such as the TNT version of Mists of Avalon.

What we do know is that they’ve amassed a number of reputable actors, including Eva Green as Morgana and Joseph Fiennes as Merlin, which is a sign of good things to come — good actors usually choose good projects.

So what do you think? Is Starz quietly branding itself the Fantasy Channel?