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EXCLUSIVE: Spartacus will not be the only recast role on the second season of Starz’s flagship series Spartacus: Blood and Sand. I hear Lesley-Ann Brandt, who played Naevia, body slave to Lucretia (Lucy Lawless) and lover of Crixus (Manu Bennett) on the first season of the show and in the prequel, Spartacus: Gods of the Arena, has decided not to renew her contract and won’t return for season 2. She just started a recurring role on CSI: NY and opted to also pursue broadcast pilots, which are currently casting. The part of Naevia, a fan favorite, will now be recast. Starz is known as being less restrictive in its actors contracts, which allowed Jane Lynch to leave Party Down when she was cast in Fox’s Glee. Season 2 of Spartacus: Blood and Sand will also introduce Liam McIntyre as the new Spartacus. He replaced ailing original star Andy Whitfield. Production on the second season of the sward-and-sandal drama is slated to begin shortly.
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I predict STARZ will now change that contract policy.
It’s is too costly and chancy for them to continually recast like this.
that is nice but they can never change
Yeah..this policy needs to change. They are now recasting 2 fan favorites. They are starting to develop shows that people are talking about and bringing new subscribers to the network. They can’t afford to have fan favorites walking out on their series.
Yea, well they had no choice on re casting the part of Spartacus. Since Andy past away last year due to cancer. He will be missed but the new guy isn’t all that bad.
Jane Lynch had signed on the Glee pilot before joining Party Down, not the other way around. She was allowed to work on Party Down as long as production for the actual episodes of Glee hadn’t begun. She was able to shoot eight episodes and the last two featured Jennifer Coolidge in a slightly rewritten part instead of Lynch’s Constance.
Starz had the habit on Party Down to sign people only for a single season. After season two was completed and when Chris Albrecht showed signs he wasn’t interested in keeping the show, Adam Scott joined the cast of Parks and Recreation while Ryan Hansen was cast in the pilot of NBC Friends with Benefits. But it was months before the decision to cancel the show was official.
The fact that Starz is “less restrictive” was actually a lack of support for “Party Down”. I’m not sure all the contracts on their hit show Spartacus are that accommodating.
The contracts for Spartacus are in fact 1 year cycles. Same deal as Party Down
Jane Lynch had a contract with GLEE before she joined PARTY DOWN.
So that means she’s getting other jobs? With THOSE acting skills? Girl’s getting cast on looks alone, because she’s as bland as they come.
And that makes her any different from 99.9% of all the other actresses out there… how?
You’re basing this on what? Her character doesn’t allow her to show off any obvious ‘impressive’ acting’. Naevia is a very passive character.
This isn’t the same thing as recasting Spartacus, though. Andy Whitfield is too sick to continue.
I think Lesley-Ann just made a career breaking mistake.
Stop being sarcastic.
She really didn’t have much to do on this show – she was just being used as a pretty face…she might as well do something else where she can develop/use her acting skills.
(Also, she may have objected to the show’s descent into soft porn, so it was probably better for her to get out now.)
Do you even watch the show? Or porn for that matter? It has about as much sex as Boardwalk Empire, True Blood, Californication, and The L Word, in other words it’s a typical cable series and is nothing like soft porn. Now the violence on the other hand is off the charts.
In some time there will be two kind of news:
1) Lesley Ann Brandt lands rom-com pilot at ABC
2) Lesley Ann Brandt’s show is a no-go at ABC
It will be a little difficult at first seeing someone else in the role but its okay. I am very eager for the return of Lucy Lawless as Lucretia in season 2, she is by far the most beautiful gorgeous and sexiest woman of all time and I love her forever.
Crixus killed Lucretia in the season 1 finale, so I doubt we’ll be seeing her again unless another prequel comes up (though I don’t see that happening). However it wouldn’t shock me if they brought her in in another role. Lawless did play a number of different roles on the Hercules and Xena TV shows and movies.
I was by the way referring to the Naevia role.
Am lost !!!.. but we have a disc here we are just watching it and it’s called SPARTACUS SEASON 2 ..don’t know what the hell it is…cos we had barca, ashur, crixus was bought in our view here..am lost !!!
her manager said she would return for the right price. it was the money they couldnt agree on. And she wants to pursue other option. Hoping a pilot makes it is risky, and a part time CSI role. stupid
Recasting isnt the issue but ll there ever get a cast like Andy Whitfield in the action
U son of a bitch……u can’t just disposed andy like dat……(think about asshole Andy is a very good character and also have endurance)
Crixus actually didn’t kill Lucretia. Batiatus was killed though.
Lucretia didn’t die. That’s y you see her still breathing in the last shot. Besides, the writers, and lawless have both said she didn’t die and will be a very prominent character in season 3. She will be trying to figure out how to live without her husband and without money. Essentially, she will be a begger
Lucretia is alive….
Well atleast they made it seem that way. I wonder what Lucretia is secretly planning!?
Leslie Ann Brandt is missed. I sincerely believe she will flurush in CSI and anythingelse she attempts. Being very good looking doesn’t hurt
Lesley ann should reconsider ,we are terribly missin her
lucretia was not killed in season 1, it was just made to look that way.. Wouldnt be surprised if they decided to bring her back as 2 fan favourites had already gone. R.I.P Andy Whitfield.. Very big shoes to try and step into!!
All seasons was breathless best acting. Lesley was my favorite.
I wish you well Lesley, but I still prefer you to Cynthia. There was real chemistry between you and Manu. Ah well, such is life. Sometimes, people make decisions based on what they feel is in their best interest.
It’s true the chemistry is not their between actor Manu Bennett as Crixus and the new Naevia sorry I can’t recall her name. Not like it was between Lesley Ann Brandt as Naevia. Boy you can really feel that Love when Manu would touch Lesley hand,excellent acting on their part. So sad to hear Lesley Ann Brandt had left. The Chemistry was not their,it just diminish one of the reason why Crixus wanted to live for in the story. Sad