NEW YORK – A prequel to the Starz channel’s hit series ‘Spartacus: Blood and Sand‘ is in the works.

Andy Whitfield played the gladiator hero in its breakout first season and will briefly appear in the prequel. But co-stars Lucy Lawless and John Hannah take center stage for the six-episode miniseries leading up to Spartacus’ arrival as a captured Thracian slave.

Watch Full Episodes of ‘Spartacus: Blood and Sand‘

Shooting begins in New Zealand this summer.

Production of the ‘Spartacus’ series’ second season was postponed this spring when Whitfield was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The cable television network says Whitfield is responding well to treatment.

Read ‘Spartacus’ Star Has Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

The network said Tuesday it looks forward to continuing the Spartacus saga.

The still-untitled prequel is scheduled to start airing next January.

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