'Spartacus' star Liam McIntyre joins 'Hercules 3D'

While others can rave about Mad Men or Game of Thrones all they like, for my money one of the best shows on TV has been Spartacus. When original star Andy Whitfield passed away a couple of years ago, I like many others assumed the show would suck and be quickly cancelled. But that didn't happen thanks to Aussie actor Liam McIntyre, who after some initial growing pains, grew into the lead role and...dammit if the series finale didn't nearly bring me to tears. It could get pretty touching when there wasn't blood and entrails flying around.

McIntyre is jumping from one Roman legend to another by joining Hercules 3D, one of two rival films based on the mythological hero. This one is directed by Renny Harlin (12 Rounds) and stars Kellan Lutz in the title role. McIntyre will play one of Hercules' most trusted friends.

Hercules 3D is aiming for a March 2014 release so as to beat out Brett Ratner and Dwayne Johnson's film, which opens four months later. It'll be interesting to see if McIntyre and other Spartacus alums can make a similarly successful jump to the big screen as Jai Courtney (A Good Day to Die Hard) seems to have done.