Starz has announced who is strapping on the very big gladiator sandals left by "Spartacus: Blood and Sand" headliner Andy Whitfield: He's Liam McIntyre, 28, another lantern-jawed Aussie TV actor known on this continent for his work on HBO's "The Pacific." And Whitfield, who was forced out of the raucous and ribald cable hit last September because of a recurrence of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, apparently gave his blessing to the recasting, according to a network release.

"Since no one can really replace Andy, we realized that we should instead find an actor who can truly lead 'Spartacus' forward," Starz president and CEO Chris Albrecht said in a statement. "It was important to us to have Andy endorse the idea of recasting this part, which he did in the same heroic manner that he's dealt with his whole ordeal. And that, coupled with our fortune in finding a young actor with the gladiator credentials and the acting ability of Liam, makes it easier for us to keep this hit franchise going." Production on season 2 is due to resume in New Zealand by this spring.

Meanwhile, the series' prequel, "Spartacus: Gods of the Arena," makes its Starz debut this Friday.