Starz will pay tribute to the late Andy Whitfield by airing a 'Spartacus: Blood and Sand' marathon Oct. 2.

The actor passed away Sept. 11 after an 18-month battle with cancer. As Friday's Starz press release noted, the 39-year old actor's "fans, friends, and colleagues alike have compared Whitefield's own persona, to that of the noble, brave, honorable gladiator character he played on screen."

The episodes to be screened starting at 9PM ET Oct. 2 will include the premiere and season finale. The other three episodes were not specified, but they will be "fan favorites" that "showcase his most memorable performances," according to the network.

According to a new report, Starz is not far from naming Andy Whitfield's replacement on its hit series 'Spartacus: Blood and Sand.'

Deadline reports that Stephen Amell, Aiden Turner and Liam McIntyre are the final three actors in the running from the role, which Whitfield bowed out of after his cancer returned in September. The three are flying to New Zealand for screen tests with the cast, and a new Spartacus could be named within the next week.

In other TV news ...

• Former 'ER' star Goran Visnjic will appear on the two-part season finale of 'Leverage.' The actor will play Damian Moreau, the "ruthless" international businessman the team has been chasing all season long. [TV Guide]

• Fox will air an extended promo of its new show, 'Bob's Burgers,' on Thanksgiving night. The series, about a diner owner and his family, will premiere in January. [Variety]

• The planned 'Bones' spinoff/new series launching pad has been postponed until the spring due to "creative reasons." The episode would introduce a new character, an eccentric man who's good at finding things named Walter Sherman, who would then get a new show based on the 'Locator' book series by Richard Greener. [Movieline]

We keep hearing about original series from paid channels like HBO or Showtime getting major kudos and ratings, but we never hear much about the original series from Starz, until now. Their series 'Spartacus: Blood and Sand' has been picking up some serious numbers in terms of viewers since its premiere on January 22nd of this year.

The show has gotten lukewarm reviews from the critics. Perhaps it's the gladiatorial combat that draws in the viewers. Or perhaps it's the proliferation of sex in the series (including some nudity on the part of former 'Battlestar Galactica' cylon/'Xena: Warrior Princess,' Lucy Lawless). Or perhaps people are confusing it with the movie 'Spartacus' that starred Kirk Douglas and was directed by Stanley Kubrick.

Starz could very well become the Cinemax of scripted programming, relying on more adult original scripted programming with lots of sex and violence in order to be a player in the game along with HBO and Showtime. Time will tell.