The beautiful singer/actress Lucy Lawless (“Xena: Warrior Princess”; “Battlestar Galactica”) will be returning to the small screen beginning January 2010 with a new series feature for the STARZ cable network titled “Spartacus: Blood and Sand”. The new series comes from Sam Raimi (Spiderman) and Rob Tapert (Drag Me To Hell); both are currently producing the new hit series “Legend of the Seeker”. Lawless worked with Tapert during her stint on Xena. Tapert will also be co-producing the remake of “The Evil Dead” along with Raimi.

“Spartacus: Blood and Sand,” which will get its early preview at the next big San Diego Comic Con, returns Lawless to familiar territory — the ancient days of gladiators and god-like heroes. The series centers on the title character Spartacus, played by Aussie actor Andy Whitfield. Lawless will play the wife of the owner of the now-enslaved Roman gladiator Spartacus.

The supporting cast for this adventurous undertaking includes some familiar faces from the sci-fi and fantasy genre. Erin Cummings of Joss Whedon’s “Dollhouse,” Peter Mensah “300” and “Avatar” (Peter was interviewed here at Slice of SciFi), Te Maioha who worked on “Xena: Warrior Princess” and can currently be seen on “Legend of the Seeker,” Craig Parker from the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy and also on “Legend of the Seeker,” and Manu Bennett who starred in the hit vampire flick “30 Days of Night.” The remaining cast include Nick E. Tarabay (“The Sopranos”), Viva Bianca (“Accidents Happen”), Jai Courtney (“Stone Bros.”) and Matt Gillanders (“30 Days of Night,” “King Kong”).

[Pictured: Lucy Lawless & Andy Whitfield]