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"Starz has ordered a second season of Spartacus: Blood and Sand before airing the show&amp;#039;s first episode.  The first season premieres on January 22. Production on a thirteen-episode second run is to begin in early 2010 in New Zealand, reports Variety. &amp;quot;Starz is committed to producing original dramas and to give the actors and writers plenty of time to prepare for a second season,&amp;quot; Stephan Shelanski, Starz exec VP of programming said. He added: &amp;quot;There was no downside to waiting longer, but we wanted to make the announcement now as a vote of confidence and to say how much we believe in the show.&amp;quot; The second season is to be titled Spartacus: Vengeance. The series, produced by Sam Raimi, stars Andy Whitfield, Lucy Lawless, John Hannah and Peter Mensah. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/news/a192380/starz-hands-spartacus-early-renewal/>