RETURN TO ANCIENT ROME WITH A NEW CLASS OF GLADIATORS

STARZ CASTS EIGHT NEW ROLES IN THE SPECTACULAR NEXT CHAPTER OF ITS HIT FRANCHISE "SPARTACUS: HOUSE OF ASHUR"

Production On The 10-Episode Season Is Underway in New Zealand

Pasadena, Calif. - July 11, 2024 - STARZ has announced casting for its epic new series "Spartacus: House of Ashur." "Outlander's" Graham McTavish ("The Witcher," "House of the Dragon") joins the cast as Ashur's Doctore, who trains the gladiators. Tenika Davis ("Jupiter's Legacy," Cabinet of Curiosities) also joins the cast as the first female gladiator in the "Spartacus" universe, a fierce warrior driven to surpass her male counterparts and earn her freedom. Jamaica Vaughan ("Home and Away," "800 Words"), Ivana Baquero (Pan's Labyrinth, "The Shannara Chronicles"), Jordi Webber (Choose Love, Prosper), Claudia Black ("The Nevers," "Ahsoka"), India Shaw-Smith (The Pines Still Whisper, "Supernatural") and Leigh Gill (Joker, "Game of Thrones") will also join Nick Tarabay ("Spartacus," "The Expanse") in the epic new saga as series regulars. Production has begun in New Zealand.

Graham McTavish plays "Korris," a former gladiator who won his freedom in the arena and is now Ashur's Doctore, training the gladiators in Ashur's Ludus.

Tenika Davis plays "Achillia," a female gladiator driven to surpass her male counterparts.

Jamaica Vaughan plays "Hilara," a young, elevated house slave, deeply in love with Ashur.

Ivana Baquero plays "Messia," a house slave in love with Hilara.

Jordi Webber plays "Tarchon," a brash and headstrong gladiator.

Claudia Black plays "Cossutia," a politician determined to keep Ashur in his place and is constantly plotting his downfall.

India Shaw-Smith plays "Viridia," Cossutia's daughter.

Leigh Gill plays "Satyrus," the leader of the Brothers Ferox, gladiators from a rival Ludus.

"Spartacus: House of Ashur" will be a history-bending, erotic, thrilling, roller-coaster experience that builds on everything that made the original series a colossal hit. The series poses the question: what if Ashur, played by fan favorite Nick Tarabay, hadn't died on Mount Vesuvius at the end of "Spartacus: Vengeance?" And what if he had been gifted the gladiator school once owned by Batiatus in return for aiding the Romans in killing Spartacus and putting an end to the slave rebellion?

"Spartacus: Blood and Sand" debuted on STARZ in 2010 and was followed by a prequel series chapter "Spartacus: Gods of the Arena" in 2011 and two additional series "Spartacus: Vengeance" in 2012 and "Spartacus: War of the Damned" in 2013. "Spartacus" creator, writer and executive producer Steven S. DeKnight ("Daredevil") serves as showrunner and executive producer. "Spartacus: House of Ashur" is produced by Lionsgate Television for STARZ.

Nick Tarabay

"Ashur"

From a gladiator in ancient Rome, to a CIA black ops agent tracking down people with special powers, and a self-righteous police lieutenant, Nick E. Tarabay has brought to life diverse and dynamic characters in film and television, emerging as "one to watch" in the entertainment industry. Best known for his role of "Ashur" in three previous seasons of "Spartacus," Tarabay has been seen most recently in "Stargirl" as "Eclipso." On the film front, he appeared opposite Scott Eastwood, John Boyega, and Charlie Day in "Pacific Rim Uprising," directed by Steven S. DeKnight. On television, Tarabay joined the cast of "The Expanse" during season two and instantly became a fan favorite as "Cotyar."

Born and raised in Beirut, Lebanon, Tarabay moved to New York City upon graduating high school to pursue a full time career in acting. Tarabay appeared in several off-Broadway plays before landing his breakout role on the STARZ critically acclaimed series "Crash." Based on the Oscar winning film, Tarabay was cast as Axel Finet, a hot-tempered, seemingly above the law police lieutenant. He continued his relationship with STARZ starring as Ashur in "Spartacus: Blood and Sand," "Spartacus: Gods of the Arena," and "Spartacus: Vengeance."

In 2013 Tarabay made his feature film debut in J.J. Abrams' Star Trek: Into Darkness. Additional credits include indie features The Veil, and Death Valley and top television series including "MacGyver," "Motherland: Fort Salem," "Taken," "Arrow," "Castle," "Longmire," "Person of Interest," "Believe," "Major Crimes," "Burn Notice," "Detroit 1-8-7," "Without A Trace," and "CSI: Miami."

Nick Tarabay is repped by Verve Talent and Literary Agency, Attorney Matt Rosen at Goodman, Genow, Schenkman, Smelkinson & Christopher, and Persona PR.

Graham McTavish

"Korris"

Graham McTavish has continued to make his way through Hollywood as a multi-faceted, veteran actor. He was recently seen in a major role in "House of the Dragon." McTavish also stars in the critically acclaimed drama series "The Witcher," reprising his role from the previous season. He will also narrate the international version of Love Nature's documentary The Ocean's Greatest Feast, following South Africa's annual sardine run.

McTavish was also seen in the award-winning Starz series, "Outlander," playing the role of Dougal MacKenzie, a Machiavellian Highland Scotsman in the 17th Century. He also starred in Starz' award-winning travel adventure series "Men in Kilts: A Roadtrip with Sam and Graham" alongside fellow actor and longtime friend Sam Heughan, where they tour Scotland and explore the history and culture of the country. The show won three out of four of its nominated awards categories at The American Reality Television Awards, including Best Docu-Series, Best Feel Good show and Best Lifestyle show, and was nominated for a Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Travel/Adventure show by the Critics' Choice Association.

Together, McTavish and Heughan also co-authored the award-winning book "Clanlands: Whisky, Warfare, and a Scottish Adventure Like No Other," as a companion title based on their experiences with the show. The book landed at #1 on The New York Times and USA Today's bestseller's lists, among many others, and the audio version hit the top 5 on both Amazon and Audible's platforms. Their narration of the audio book won an Audie Award in the category of Best History/Biography, celebrating the title as one of the best in audio books. Due to the book's success, they followed up with another top-rated title, "The Clanlands Almanac: Seasonal Stories From Scotland."

With an impressive list of credits, there are several that stand out for McTavish. On the big screen, he was featured in all three installments of Peter Jackson's blockbuster franchise The Hobbit, starring as Dwalin, the brave warrior dwarf, in the films including The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug, and The Hobbit: The Battle Of Five Armies. He was recently seen in the blockbuster film Aquaman with Jason Momoa. His film credits also include The Finest Hours with Chris Pine and Casey Affleck and the Oscar(R) nominated film Creed, playing boxing coach Tommy Holiday, opposite Sylvester Stallone and Michael B. Jordan.

He starred as "The Saint of Killers" in "Preacher," with Dominic Cooper and Ruth Negga, produced by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. The series is based on the largely successful comic of the same title. The role only got larger for McTavish, giving many twists and turns for four seasons.

McTavish began his career in London, appearing in such diverse projects as the cult hit Red Dwarf, Brian Blessed's King Lear, and the miniseries "Empire." At the same time, McTavish appeared in leading roles in prestigious UK theatres, including the Royal Court and the National Theatres in London and the Royal Lyceum in Edinburgh.

One week after arriving in Los Angeles, McTavish landed a leading role in Rambo, also with Sylvester Stallone. Since then, he has worked non-stop in a diverse array of roles on television and film, including the nefarious Russian Diplomat Mikhail Novakovich on the final season of "24" with Kiefer Sutherland, Earl Jansen in Secretariat with Diane Lane, Middle Men with James Caan and Giovanni Ribisi and in the Olivier Megaton feature Columbiana with Zoe Saldana, among many others.

McTavish also developed quite a fan base with his voice performance as "Dante Aligheri" in the animated film and video game of "Dante's Inferno" and has provided the voice of "Loki" for the animated TV series "Hulk vs. Thor" and "The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes" as well as the voices of several other TV show and video game characters.

McTavish splits his time between New Zealand and Los Angeles.

Graham McTavish is repped by Cheri Barner at Cheri Barner Management, Adrian Pellereau at Artists & Representatives

Tenika Davis

"Achillia"

Tenika Davis was born in Toronto, Canada and raised in the small town of Newmarket, Ontario. At the age of 10, she discovered her passion for public speaking and the performing arts, eagerly participating in speech competitions. Around the same time, she began intensive training in Taekwondo, quickly excelling and competing at a national level, earning numerous gold medals, trophies, and awards.

Her martial arts training not only provided an excellent outlet for her energy but also set the stage for her professional acting career. Davis' rise to fame began as a finalist on the first season of "Canada's Next Top Model." Following the show, she signed with the renowned Ford Models agency.

Her talent and determination led to her first lead role in the indie hit Jumping the Broom, where she starred alongside Angela Bassett, Paula Patton, Loretta Devine, and Meagan Good. Shortly after, she was cast as "Sara Suarez," a seductive action heroine, in the successful Wrong Turn horror movie franchise.

Davis' fierce on-screen presence and exceptional stunt fighting skills made her a natural fit for the role of superhero "Petra Small" in the comic book series, "Jupiter's Legacy." Her career has since continued to soar, involving roles in blockbuster films and TV series, and collaborations with major actors, directors, and producers.

Most recently, Tenika starred in Guillermo Del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities, alongside Rupert Grint and Ismael Cruz Cordova, sci-fi series "Beacon 23," and "IT Chapter 3: Welcome to Derry." With a career that shows no signs of slowing down, Tenika Davis is undeniably a rising star.

Tenika Davis is repped by Buchwald, Zero Gravity and Element Artist Management.

Jamaica Vaughan

"Hilara"

Jamaica Vaughan is an Australian actress who began her career at an early age performing in Musical Theatre. On television, Vaughan is known for her roles in the popular drama "Home & Away" and in the Australian/New Zealand co-production "800 Words." Vaughan recently wrapped on the action feature film Unseen Enemy where she made use of her martial arts background to perform her own stunts. Vaughan was nominated for Best Actress at the Western Australian Screen Awards for her performance in the short film Betrand The Terrible.

Jamaica Vaughan is repped by Helen Pandos Management and Yorn Levine.

Ivana Baquero

"Messia"

Ivana Baquero was born in Barcelona, Spain. She graduated High School at The American School of Barcelona, giving her the ability to work in both English and Spanish as native tongues. She got her big break in 2006 when Guillermo Del Toro cast her in the lead role of "Ofelia" in his critically acclaimed fantasy thriller Pan's Labyrinth. Baquero was awarded the 2007 Goya Award (Spanish Oscar) for Best New Actress for her performance. Additionally, she received various awards including the Award for Best Newcomer by the Union of Spanish Actors, the Saturn Award for Best Performance by a Young Actor and the Imagen Award for Best Actress. The film also went on to receive three Academy Awards among other accolades.

Some other notable early work includes films "Fragile" with Calista Flockhart and "Romasanta" alongside Julian Sands, both of which were supporting roles when she was only 9 and 10 years old. As she transitioned into adulthood, Baquero played her first American role in the feature film The New Daughter, where she starred opposite Kevin Costner. In 2015, she starred in "The Shannara Chronicles," a story based on Terry Brook's bestselling novel "The Elfstones of Shannara" and executive produced by Jon Favreau, Jonathan Liebesman, Al Gough and Miles Millar. Baquero also stars in dual roles in Gelo, a Portuguese fantasy love story for which she was nominated for Best Actress at the 2017 Sophia Awards. She also led Spanish production El Club de los Incomprendidos, based on the best-selling book trilogy and was also recently awarded the Silver Biznaga for Best Actress at the Málaga Film Festival for the Spanish film Sister of Mine.

Baquero most recently starred in Spanish language series "High Seas," and some of her latest international work includes pilot "L.A.Tinas" from director Alberto Belli, and films Feedback, produced by Jaume Collett-Serra and Juan Sola, and Black Friday, starring opposite Bruce Campbell.

Ivana Baquero is repped by Bedelka Talent and Zero Gravity Management.

Jordi Webber

"Tarchon"

Jordi Webber is a young Maori actor, who is swiftly gaining international recognition as a leading man. Born in Rotorua, New Zealand, Weber's first screen role was playing "Levi Weston," the Gold Ranger, on Power Rangers Ninja Steel. Shortly after he landed the role of "Rangi" in epic Maori action/thriller series "The Dead Lands."

Since then, Webber has had a consistent stream of local and international work, with highlights including romantics leads in feature films Choose Love and Mistletoe Ranch, and a key supporting role in independent US feature Nomad, set for release in 2024.

Most recently, Webber joined the cast of iconic Australian drama "Home And Away" As free-spirited troublemaker "Kahu Parata," prior to being cast as a hip American preacher/music producer in Prosper.

Alongside acting, Webber has been a musician for over a decade, writing and playing music for his alter-ego 'Waazzoo and The Vibes'. He also has extensive stunt training, and when not in the studio you'll find him with a backpack somewhere around the world, surfing, hiking or walking the streets of an ancient city.

Jordi Webber is repped by Lion Rock Management in NZ and IMC in Australia.

Claudia Black

"Cossutia"

A thirty year veteran of cult film and television, Claudia Black has most recently been seen on "The Nevers" and Star Wars "Ahsoka." Black may be best known for her series regular roles in the sci-fi series "Stargate SG-1," as well as "Farscape," where she played "Aeryn Sun" in over 80 episodes.

Other TV roles include "NCIS," "The Dresden Files," "Moonlight," and arcs on the "90210" reboot and "Haven." Black's feature work includes Pitch Black, Queen of the Damned and the voice of "Angelique" in Gore Verbinki's Oscar(R) winning Rango.

Black's other credits include a recurring role on "The Originals," a series regular role in Julie Plec's "Containment," and a recurring role on "Roswell."

Claudia Black is repped by Chris Prapha at CPG.

India Shaw-Smith

"Viridia"

India Shaw-Smith is a British actress who trained at the prestigious London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art (LAMDA). Since graduating, she has worked extensively across theatre, film and television. Shaw-Smith enjoyed living and working in Canada for two years. During her time there, she played the lead in The Pines Still Whisper, a film that won Best Feature at the Toronto Independent Film Festival in 2023 and Best Picture at the Edinburgh Film Fest International in 2024. Notable TV credits include "Supernatural" and "Vanity Fair."

On stage, Shaw-Smith originated the role of "Magnhild" in the world premiere of "Blodlina: The Viking Musical" at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Other notable stage roles include "Michal" in "The Pillowman," "Kayleen" in "Gruesome Playground Injuries," and "Robin" in "Eddie and the Slumber Sisters" with The National Theatre of Scotland.

India Shaw-Smith is repped by Fiona Keddie-Ord at Keddie Scott Associates, London and Murray Gibson of Red Management, Vancouver.

Leigh Gill

"Satyrus"

Born and raised in England, Leigh Gill dreamed of being an actor from a young age. A natural performer, Gill joined a local amateur theatre group and studied music and played guitar in rock bands throughout his teens and 20s. Following early acting appearances in music videos, Gill signed with a talent agent and soon went on to establish himself as a professional actor.

Gill is best known for his roles as "Bobono" in "Game of Thrones" and "Gary" in Todd Phillips' Joker and he's set to reprise his role in Phillips' much anticipated sequel Joker: Folie à Deux, releasing globally in theaters in October 2024.

Also releasing in late 2024 is Blitz, an historical drama written and directed by Sir Steve McQueen CBE in which Gill portrays "Michael Davies," a people's hero of the wartime Blitz in London. The film will premiere at the London Film Festival in October ahead of its general theatrical and streaming release.

Some of Gill's other notable credits include: "Ronja the Robber's Daughter," Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Scorpion King 4: Quest for Power, Lion Versus the Little People and "The Witcher."

Leigh Gill is repped by agent Lisa Osmond of Oh So Small Productions (UK), Ben Pitts at The Dragonfly Agency (US) and managed by Robert Corbin (US).

About STARZ

STARZ (www.starz.com), a Lionsgate company, is a leading media streaming platform committed to delivering premium content that amplifies narratives by, about and for women and underrepresented audiences. STARZ is home to the highly rated and first-of-its-kind STARZ app that offers the ability to stream or download STARZ premium content, as well as the flagship domestic STARZ(R) service, including STARZ ENCORE, 17 premium pay TV channels, and the associated on-demand and online services. STARZ is available across digital OTT platforms and multichannel video distributors, including cable operators, satellite television providers, and telecommunications companies. In February 2021, STARZ launched #TakeTheLead, a multi-faceted and innovative inclusion initiative expanding its existing efforts to improve representation on screen, behind the camera and throughout the company.

About Lionsgate Studios

Lionsgate Studios (NASDAQ: LION) is one of the world's leading standalone, pure play, publicly-traded content companies. It brings together diversified motion picture and television production and distribution businesses, a world-class portfolio of valuable brands and franchises, a talent management and production powerhouse and a more than 20,000-title film and television library, all driven by Lionsgate Studios' bold and entrepreneurial culture.