Spartacus To Be Remade

I was gonna start the article with my customary “Here we go again”. But guess what? Spartacus has already been remade recently. Not as a motion picture though. “Spartacus: Blood And Sand” is an ongoing Starz TV series with Andy Whitfield and then Liam McIntyre (Season 2) in the role Kirk Douglas immortalised. I’ve not watched the show, so I can’t comment on its quality.

Now, a new big screen version is being mounted by independent studio GK Films. Variety broke the news today, which came as a surprise to exactly no one. It was just a matter of time, after all. What is slightly heartening to note is that this time they will be more faithful to history. As good as Stanley Kubrick’s 1960 version was, it did take a great number of liberties with historical facts. The studio is basing this remake on a script treatment by Michael B. Gordon, the writer of “300″.

The studio released a Twitter feed on the announcement, which reads: “GK is developing ‘Spartacus’ as a film, focusing on the rebel leader who took on the Roman Empire for 2 years. ‘Spartacus’ will eschew the fictionalized storylines, and rely instead on more historic facts of Spartacus as a revolutionary. Focusing on him leading a band of 70000 elite gladiators and 50000 freed slaves in revolt against the Roman war machine between 73 and 71 BC.”

No casting or production details were revealed.