Updated: 10:10 a.m. ET
Starz will conclude its Spartacus
franchise after the drama's upcoming third season, a network spokesperson
confirmed Monday.
The decision to end the series was made by series creator
Steven S. DeKnight and the network in the belief that it was "the best way to
maintain the integrity of the series and secure its legacy," said Starz CEO
Chris Albrecht.
"We did not come to this decision lightly," DeKnight
said. "It was an extremely difficult and emotional decision for my
partners and I. Yet, in the end, the story was best served by rolling all
of the remaining action and drama of Spartacus' journey into one stunningly
epic season that will be extremely satisfying for everyone who's been along for
the ride."
Spartacus, which premiered
in 2010, is the pay cabler's highest-rated series, drawing six million weekly
viewers in its most recent run. After series star Andy Whitfield died in
September 2011, Liam McIntyre was recast in the title role for the second
season Spartacus: Vengeance, which
aired earlier this year.
The final 10-episode season, Spartacus: War of the Damned, will bow in January 2013.
