Spartacus: Blood and Sand – The Complete First Season disc features content too risqué even for cable

Starz Original series, Spartacus: Blood and Sand, comes home when Anchor Bay releases the critical and audience hit as a heroic four-disc DVD and Blu-ray on September 21st. Both the Spartacus: Blood and Sand – The Complete First Season DVD and Blu-ray are clad in high-end collectible, book-style packaging.

Executive produced by Rob Tapert, Sam Raimi, Joshua Donen and Steven S. DeKnight, Spartacus: Blood and Sand – The Complete First Season on DVD and Blu-ray promises to take fans even deeper into the deadly brutality of gladiator games and the decadent machinations of Roman society with hours of bonus features delving behind the scenes into the making of a modern epic, including interviews and commentaries from the actors and filmmakers, augmented with rare production footage exploring the series’ ground-breaking visual effects, production and costume design.

Enhanced digital effects have been added to several of the episodes, and as a Blu-ray exclusive, four episodes have been personally selected as “Directors’ Cut Extended Episodes,” featuring content too risqué, even for cable TV.

Spartacus: Blood and Sand, the most highly anticipated original series in the history of Starz Entertainment, premiered on January 22, 2010 and was an instant hit with viewers and critics. With a renowned international cast including John Hannah (the Mummy films), Peter Mensah (300), Manu Bennett (30 Days of Night), Nick E. Tarabay (Crash) and Lucy Lawless (Xena: Warrior Princess), and a star-making turn by Andy Whitfield in the title role, Spartacus: Blood and Sand literally re-wrote the book for television series.

Spartacus: Blood and Sand was inspired by the actual slave of the Roman Republic, who in 73 BC led a slave revolt that grew to more than 120,000 fighters. Torn from his homeland and the woman he loves, Spartacus (Whitfield), a Thracian warrior captured by Romans, is enslaved into a gladiator training school owned by Batiatus (Hannah) and his wife Lucretia (Lawless). He is forced to fight daily for his life against deadly foes, under the brutal whip of trainer Doctore (Mensah). He is condemned to the brutal world of the arena where blood and death are primetime entertainment. But not all battles are fought upon the sands. Treachery, corruption and the allure of sensual pleasures will constantly test him and his masters.

Against all odds, Spartacus’ rebellious instincts, his intense love for his wife Sura (Erin Cummings) and his powerful fighting skills drive him to win a series of near-impossible battles – setting in motion a revolution against the tyranny of Rome. To survive, he must become more than a man, more than a gladiator. He must become a legend.

The legions of Spartacus: Blood and Sand fans who have been anticipating the second season, were excited to learn earlier this month that Starz will air a six-part prequel in early 2011 that tells the story of the gladiator school before Spartacus arrives. It will focus on Batiatus and Lucretia, as well as some new characters that will be introduced.

The bonus features on Spartacus: Blood and Sand – The Complete First Season are anything but spartan. Hours of featurettes, behind-the-scenes footage, audio commentaries, interviews, and outtakes will get the “thumbs up” from the casual Thracian to the die-hard Roman!

DVD and Blu-ray bonus features include:

• Gladiator Camp (featurette)
• History Rewritten (featurette)
• Make-up Effects (featurette)
• The Hole (featurette)
• Plus more featurettes!
• Audio Commentaries
• Episodes with Enhanced Digital Effects
• Behind-The-Scenes Footage
• Bloopers
• Trailers

Exclusive Blu-ray bonus feature:

• Four “Directors’ Cut Extended Episodes” personally selected by Executive Producer Rob Tapert