According to Deadline, Starz announced the cancellation of Steven S. Knight’s (Jupiter’s Legacy, Pacific Rim: Uprising) Spartacus: House of Ashur. Lionsgate Television, which produces the series, is shopping it to other platforms. The series debuted on Starz in December, wrapping up its 10-episode freshman season in February.
As of the Deadline, the series is a sequel to Spartacus and did not match the same viewership level as the original. Additionally, the makeup of the follow-up’s audience did not quite align with Starz’s focus on women and underrepresented audiences, sources said. House of Ashur features a diverse cast with storylines that prominently feature women and characters from underrepresented backgrounds.
Due to Starz’s split from Lionsgate, House of Ashur is no longer owned by the network via Deadline. Starz has been leaning into more owned series, such as Fightland, executive produced by Curtis 50 Cent Jackson (Street Fighter, Get Rich or Die Tryin’), and the untitled family drama set in the world of Black rodeo in Texas.
According to Deadline, Spartacus:House of Ashur is an alternate-timeline, “what-if” spin-off of the original Spartacus series. It imagines a scenario where the cunning, self-serving Syrian character Ashur survives Mount Vesuvius, betrays the rebels, and is rewarded by the Romans with his own gladiator school.
Deadline reports the cast of the series includes Nick E. Tarabay (All There Is, Star Trek Into Darkness) as Ashur, Graham McTavish (Devil May Cry, The Mighty Nein) as Korris, Tenika Davis (It: Welcome to Derry, Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities) as Achillia, Claudia Black (Pitch Black, Dragon Age: The Veilguard) as Cossutia, Jamaica Vaughan (Home and Away, In Search of the Perfect Climax) as Hilara, Ivana Baquero (A Widow’s Game, Black Friday) as Messia and Jordi Webber (Power Rangers Ninja Steel, Together Forever Tead) as Tarchon.
Spartacus: House of Ashur is available to stream on Hulu.