Sam (Spider-Man) Raimi and Rob Tapert, the masterminds behind Xena: Warrior Princess, have created the hour-long adventure drama Spartacus: Blood and Sand, which will air on the Starz premium cable channel and star Xena herself, Lucy Lawless, along with Australian actor Andy Whitfield who will take on the title role.

Lawless, who is married to producer Tapert, will play the hardnosed proprietor of a camp of gladiators.  According to Variety, the show will go into production in April and will debut on Starz in January of 2010.

Xena: Warrior Princess, which aired from 1995 to 2001, inspired a flood of merchandise including comics, trading cards, games, books, and movies.