‘Spartacus: House of Ashur’ Unveils Key Characters, Featuring a Female Gladiator, in First-Look Photos

The new Spartacus series, House of Ashur, is finally coming to Starz this fall, and creator Steven S. DeKnight is ready to tell a fresh story. DeKnight shared with Entertainment Weekly that the original Spartacus show left a big mark on him.

After the tough experience of making the first series, and the heartbreaking loss of Andy Whitfield, who played Spartacus and died from cancer, DeKnight needed time to recover. He explained, “I think I needed a decade to recuperate from the original experience, which was wonderful, but just grueling and emotionally gut wrenching.”

For years, Starz kept asking DeKnight if he wanted to return to the Spartacus world, but he kept saying no because it was too hard. Then, finally, he felt ready. He began thinking about new ideas but realized many famous Roman stories had been told many times and were very expensive to make.

So, instead of going back to Caesar or Antony and Cleopatra, DeKnight focused on a lesser-known character from the original series: Ashur.

Ashur was played by Nick Tarabay and was an unpredictable, ambitious ex-gladiator. In the original show, he was believed to have been killed on Mount Vesuvius, but DeKnight imagined a different ending.

With some help from his wife, actress Jaime Slater, he developed a new story where Ashur survives and takes control of the gladiator school, the Ludus. DeKnight says, “The project would’ve died if she had said, ‘You’re an idiot, don’t do that.’”

House of Ashur takes place about six months after the rebellion led by Spartacus ended. DeKnight confirms that the story doesn’t change much about the original show except that Ashur is alive. “Everybody else who died, I hate to tell the fans, they’re still dead. Yes, that includes Spartacus himself,” he said. So, Liam McIntyre won’t be returning as Spartacus.

The rebellion’s defeat still casts a shadow over the new series. Ashur is caught in a difficult spot: he’s a hero for stopping the rebellion but is also an ex-slave and former gladiator, which makes others distrust him. DeKnight describes Ashur’s struggle, saying, “He has everything he ever dreamed of and is discovering it’s really difficult to hang onto it.”

Graham McTavish, known for Outlander, plays Korris, Ashur’s trusted gladiator trainer. DeKnight wrote the role specifically for McTavish, but there were last-minute worries due to scheduling conflicts with other shows. Luckily, with some help from a Starz executive, McTavish signed on just in time.

One big new addition to the series is Tenika Davis as Achillia, the first female gladiator in the Spartacus universe. Davis’s character is fierce and determined to prove she’s as tough as the male fighters. DeKnight explained, “Historically, female gladiators didn’t appear until about 100 years later, but Ashur upsets history and introduces the female gladiator 100 years early.” He promises that Achillia’s presence will shake things up.

The show also features Jamaica Vaughan as Hilara, a house slave in love with Ashur, Ivana Baquero as Messia, another house slave who loves Hilara, Jordi Webber as the bold gladiator Tarchon, Claudia Black as the politician Cossutia who wants Ashur’s downfall, India Shaw-Smith as Cossutia’s daughter Viridia, and Leigh Gill as Satyrus, the leader of a rival gladiator group.

DeKnight says the complicated relationships and shifting loyalties make the show exciting to work on. But the big question remains: how can fans root for Ashur, who betrayed his fellow gladiators? DeKnight answers honestly, “Is he a good guy now? No, he’s Ashur. He’s scheming, murderous Ashur, but the best way to get an audience behind a character like that is roll out the people who are worse.

The Romans, the elites are much worse than he is.” Ashur tries to climb the social ladder in a ruthless world, and viewers will see him struggle to survive by any means necessary.

Spartacus: House of Ashur will bring back the sex, violence, and drama fans loved, while also adding fresh twists like the female gladiator. DeKnight is back as showrunner and executive producer, ready to take fans on a new journey through the dangerous world of ancient Rome.

This information comes from an interview with Steven S. DeKnight shared with Entertainment Weekly.

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