14 DAY TRIAL // As work on the second season of the Starz series “Spartacus: Blood and Sand” was underway, sad news comes for the fans of the show: star Andy Whitfield has just announced he’s battling cancer recurrence and has to pull out of it.
In a statement issued to several media outlets and cited by People magazine, Whitfield says that he will no longer be able to return for the second season of the television series because he must undergo aggressive treatment.
Whitfield was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma but recently said that he was cancer free and would be coming back – consequently, production for season 2 started.
Just the other day, the announcement came, with the actor saying he won’t be able to shoot for the series. However, the network will go ahead with season 2.
“It’s with a deep sense of disappointment that I must step aside from such an exceptional project as Spartacus and all the wonderful people involved,” the 36-year-old actor says in the statement.
“It seems that it is time for myself and my family to embark on another extraordinary journey,” Whitfield adds, speaking about his cancer coming back.
The network has already confirmed the sad news for fans, stressing that season 2 will go ahead as planned. As of now, producers don’t know what they’ll do with Whitfield not gone.
“Our hearts and prayers are with Andy and his family during this difficult time,” Starz President and CEO Chris Albrecht says in a separate statement.
“Andy is not only an incredible actor whose portrayal of Spartacus made an indelible impression on Starz audiences, he is also an amazing human being whose courage, strength and grace in the face of adversity have inspired all of us,” the CEO adds.
As fans must know, when Whitfield was first diagnosed with the disease, production on “Spartacus” was put on hiatus (of sorts), with Starz starting work on a 6-episode prequel series called “Spartacus: Gods of the Arena.”
As also noted above, Starz maintains it will move forward with season 2 of “Spartacus,” though in what manner it may do so is yet to be determined. Keep an eye on this space for more.