The first trailer for the mini-series prequel to Starz’s hit show, Spartacus: Blood and Sand, has been released online.

The six-episode prequel, titled Spartacus: Gods of the Arena, was announced after series star Andy Whitfield was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, delaying production on season 2 of the show. Sadly, Whitfield has faced setbacks in his fight, and recently it was announced that the lead role would be re-cast. Starz has now narrowed their search down to just a few names, and we should get an announcement on who will be stepping into the role and when production on season 2 will begin in the near future.

Now you can see a trailer for Gods of the Arena by clicking over to the other side, which is accompanied by a lengthy synopsis. The prequel debuts on January 21 at 10pm EST on Starz.

Oh boy, do we have an amazing contest for you, dear readers!

Here at Geeks of Doom we’re big fans of Spartacus: Blood and Sand (see our review), and we know a lot of our readers are too. That’s why we’re so very excited to be able to bring you this contest in conjunction with the recent release of Season 1 of the series on DVD and Blu-ray where we’re giving away some prizes, including a Sony Playstation 3!

One (1) Grand Prize winner will receive:

• One (1) Sony Playstation 3
• One (1) Spartacus: Blood and Sand Season 1 Blu-ray

Two (2) runner-up winners will each receive:

• One (1) Spartacus: Blood and Sand Season 1 DVD

TO ENTER: There’s just two simple steps:

(1) Make sure you’re subscribed to the Geeks of Doom email digest. If you’re not then click here and sign up. (If you’re already a subscriber, then go right to the next step.)

(2) Fill out the entry form here below and submit. (Form is here after the jump.)

Good luck!

Spartacus: Blood and Sand
DVD | Blu-ray
CREATED BY: Steven S. DeKnight
DIRECTED BY: Rick Jacobson, Jesse Warn, Michael Hurst
STARRING: Andy Whitfield, John Hannah, Erin Cummings, Jai Courtney, Lucy Lawless, Manu Bennett, Katrina Law, Peter Mensah, Nick Tarabay, Lesley-Ann Brandt, Viva Bianca
Starz/Anchor Bay
RELEASE DATE: September 21, 2010

All men fall. It is but time and method that differ.

I’ll start things of with a personal admission of guilt: when it comes to anything set far, far back in time, especially those that involve swords and shields and horses and bloody chaotic battles, I’m usually a fan. Movies like Gladiator and Braveheart or TV shows like HBO’s Rome have all left me gleefully satisfied upon watching, and I’m always hungry for more of the same.

Because of this, you could say I might be a little biased towards a show like Starz’s Spartacus: Blood and Sand, and you could be right. The moment I saw that this new show was coming, I was filled with excitement and couldn’t wait to get my eyes on it.

But to be perfectly honest, things did not start off too well for me and this show. The pilot episode was a bit of a rocky start; it crossed me as a combination of Gladiator and 300, but the overpowering stylistic effects — though the intent was pure, and the plan was to give a real graphic novel feel to the show — didn’t feel nearly as fitting as they did with Zack Snyder’s ultra-fun tale of the 300 Spartans, and it all came off as a bit too cheesy at times. Even so, with my undying love of such things, I decided to solider on and see what happens.

It’s no secret that Starz has a lot of faith in their original series, Spartacus: Blood and Sand. Before the show’s first season even began, a second season had already been ordered; but unfortunately, some difficult complications arose when the show’s star Andy Whitfield was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.

Whitfield is expected to make a full recovery, and he’ll even be able to play a small part in this prequel, but the show’s second season is in the midst of a significant delay due to the illness. Instead of wait their star’s return to health, Starz has decided that it wouldn’t be a bad idea to use the time to film a 6-part prequel series to the show. This prequel will begin filming this summer in New Zealand, and is expected to air in January.

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
Two Disc Deluxe Edition
Directed by Rob Cohen
Starring Brendan Frasier, Jet Li, Maria Bello, John Hannah, Luke Ford, Michelle Yeoh, Isabella Leong
Universal Home Entertainment
Release Date: December 16, 2008

The third installment of The Mummy series is sure not to disappoint. Well, one thing is disappointing and I have to say it right from the beginning. What happened to the real Evelyn O’Connell? I really hate to start a review like this. I like to tell a bit about the movie and then give my feelings, but I couldn’t, and I am sure you won’t be able to. It’s not that Maria Bello (Thank You for Smoking, A History of Violence) is bad in her depiction of Evelyn, it’s just that, Rachel Weisz is our Evelyn. Maybe Weisz’s decision to do Definitely, Maybe or My Blueberry Nights blocked her from The Mummy project. If it did, I have one thing to say: she should have stuck with The Mummy series. No judgments on the other two movies, but, you get my drift.

In The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, a new kind of mummy is released, Emperor Han (Jet Li), by mistake of course, and it is up to Rick (Brendan Fraser) and Evelyn, along with their now-adult son Alex (Luke Ford) and Evelyn’s brother John (John Hannah) to save the world from complete enslavement.

The Mummy franchise has yet to disappoint me and Rob Cohen does not do so now. In the interest of not giving away everything in the movie, I am keeping my review short, but I will go in detail about this DVD edition’s many bonus features.