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The cast for Spartacus: House of Ashur has been filled out. Starz has announced several guest-starring roles for the upcoming spin-off series, which is currently being filmed in New Zealand.

Dan Hamill, Andrew McFarlane, Jackson Gallagher, Jaime Slater, Simon Arblaster, Arlo Gibson, Cameron Rhodes, Evander Brown, Graham Vincent, Louis Hunter, and Donald Ross are joining the previously announced Graham McTavish, Tenika Davis, Jamaica Vaughan, Ivana Baquero, Jordi Webber, Claudia Black, India Shaw-Smith, Leigh Gill, and returning Nick Tarabay. The Starz series is an alternative take on history seen in the original series. In this version, the villainous Ashur (Tarabay) does not die.

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Dan Hamill joins ‘Spartacus: House of Ashur’ (Photo Courtesy of Starz)

Starz’s Spartacus: House of Ashur starring Nick Tarabay has added 12 guest stars to its cast. The much-anticipated new addition to the Spartacus franchise is in production in New Zealand, with Spartacus creator, writer, and executive producer Steven S. DeKnight guiding the series as showrunner.

“Spartacus: House of Ashur will be a history-bending, erotic, thrilling, roller-coaster experience that builds on everything that made the original series a colossal hit,” reads Starz’s synopsis. “The series poses the question: what if Ashur, played by fan favorite Nick Tarabay, hadn’t died on Mount Vesuvius at the end of Spartacus: Vengeance? And what if he had been gifted the gladiator school once owned by Batiatus in return for aiding the Romans in killing Spartacus and putting an end to the slave rebellion?”

In addition to Tarabay, the previously announced cast includes Lucy Lawless as Lucretia,...

Joining a long line of filmmakers who’ve fictionalized their comings-of-age in one regional punk scene or another, veteran New Zealand writer-director Jonathan Ogilvie turns the clock back to 1979 Christchurch in “Head South.” Its protagonist is the classic shy but would-be rebellious teen boy dared into starting his own band, whose first gig naturally provides an underdogs-triumphant climax. Pleasant but awfully thin, feeling like a short insufficiently fleshed out to feature length, this modest nostalgic exercise provides a lightweight opener to this year’s Rotterdam fest.

Angus (Ed Oxenbould) is a high-schooler intrigued by new U.K. sounds as yet little-heard hereabouts —though he can barely summon the courage to enter Middle Earth Records, where proprietor Fraser (Jackson Bliss) is the obvious go-to source for such breaking intel. Even more intimidatingly cool is mysterious Holly (Roxie Mohebbi), a Debbie Harry-esque bottle-blonde bombshell who claims to be from London. Amongst his own,...

Stars: Morgan Albrecht, Linda Allen, Yoson An, Jaya Beach-Robertson, Jonny Brugh, Milo Cawthorne, Charles Chan, Mohi Critchley, Hetty Gaskall-Haan, Arlo Gibson, Mick Innes, Ash Jones, Stephanie Liebert, Mathew Loo, Frankie Mac, Josh McKenzie, Sam Morgan, Lewis Roscoe, Axl Scott, Tian Tan, Barney Teng, Anton Tennet, Paul Trimmer, Simon Ward, Matt Weavers, William Wei, Eruera Wilton, Han Xu | Written and Directed by Tim Van Dammen

In an interview promoting the film last year, writer/director Tim Van Dammen described Mega Time Squad as “an absurd time travel crime comedy with a big heart about a loveable rural idiot with modest aspirations who uses a time travel bracelet to steal the money needed to fulfill his dream of moving to the neighbouring town… but he fucks up the time travelling bit.”

I go one further and describe Mega Time Squad as one of the greatest time travel movies ever committed to celluloid.

If you’re looking for a laugh, I’ve got a couple of funny trailers here for you to watch for an upcoming sci-fi comedy from New Zealand called Mega Time Squad.

The film is described as The Castle meets Looper, and it is said to be a "study in high-meets-low, combining elements of the sci-fi, the crime thriller, and the comedy to make a comedy heist film with a time-traveling twist." As you’ll see in the trailer, things take an interesting turn.

The story follows a low-level criminal from the small town of Thames in New Zealand who “steals an ancient Chinese bracelet time-travel device that helps him pull off a heist and start a new life. But he may not survive the demonic consequences of tampering with time.”

Mega Time Squad was written and directed by Tim van Dammen, and it stars Anton Tennet, Jonny Brugh, Hetty Gaskell-Hahn,...

"If you meet your other self while time traveling, that's when the demon comes." Dark Sky has released an official Us trailer for a time travel indie comedy titled Mega Time Squad, made in New Zealand, finally arriving on Us shores in February. Described as The Castle meets Looper, Mega Time Squad is a "study in high-meets-low, combining elements of the sci-fi, the crime thriller and the comedy to make a comedy heist film with a time-traveling twist." It's about a small time criminal who finds an ancient Chinese device that can help him pull off a heist and start a new life – but he may not survive the consequences of tampering with time. This stars Anton Tennet, Jonny Brugh, Hetty Gaskell-Hahn, Arlo Gibson, Eru Wilton, Milo Cawthorne, & Simon Ward. Looks very low budget and wacky and dumb, and maybe entertaining. Here's the official Us trailer (+ original poster) for Tim van Dammen...

2018 has been, yet again, another fantastic year for movies. There has been some great films in the cinema, on DVD and VOD and the film festivals we’ve covered have been jam-packed with quality movies. Which makes it Very hard to narrow down a list of the Top 10 of the year! Even moreso when it comes to Dtv releases…

So, with that being said, I’ve decided that this year I’d split my picks into two distinct lists – the ten best films I saw this year, be it at the local multiplex or at film festivals; and the ten best direct-to-market titles of the year, be they DVD or VOD. The only other criteria is that we’ve covered the film here on Nerdly.

This list is my Top 10 picks of the cinematic releases (including festival screenings) of 2018 – in the order I saw them… Starting at the beginning of the year,...

Tim van Dammen's festival darling Mega Time Squad will be released in theaters and on VOD on February 15th, 2019 courtesy of Dark Sky Films, and we have a look at the film's trailer. Also: The Man in Room 6's photos and crowd-funding details, Virus of the Dead Amazon Prime and VOD release details, and Hell House LLC II: The Abaddon Hotel digital release details.

Mega Time Squad Release Date and Trailer Revealed: "In Theaters And On VOD February 15, 2019

Film Synopsis

A low-level criminal steals an ancient Chinese time-travel device, but he may not survive the demonic consequences of tampering with time. Mega Time Squad is a wildly entertaining time travel/sci-fi comedy out of New Zealand. A fan favorite on the festival circuit, the film stars Jonny Brugh (What We Do In The Shadows) and was praised by Variety as "fast-paced, determinedly silly, with sharp slangy dialogue," the film...

Stars: Morgan Albrecht, Linda Allen, Yoson An, Jaya Beach-Robertson, Jonny Brugh, Milo Cawthorne, Charles Chan, Mohi Critchley, Hetty Gaskall-Haan, Arlo Gibson, Mick Innes, Ash Jones, Stephanie Liebert, Mathew Loo, Frankie Mac, Josh McKenzie, Sam Morgan, Lewis Roscoe, Axl Scott, Tian Tan, Barney Teng, Anton Tennet, Paul Trimmer, Simon Ward, Matt Weavers, William Wei, Eruera Wilton, Han Xu | Written and Directed by Tim Van Dammen

In a recent interview, writer/director Tim Van Dammen described Mega Time Squad as “an absurd time travel crime comedy with a big heart about a loveable rural idiot with modest aspirations who uses a time travel bracelet to steal the money needed to fulfill his dream of moving to the neighbouring town… but he fucks up the time travelling bit.”

I go one further and describe Mega Time Squad as one of the greatest time travel movies ever committed to celluloid. Yes, I said it...

The mean streets of Thames, New Zealand — though “moderately impolite” appears to be about as bad as it gets — become an improbable setting for supernaturally-sparked action in “Mega Time Squad.” Tim van Dammen’s clever crime comedy pegs good guys and bad guys alike as gormless clods, a dynamic only heightened after the discovery of a time-travel device that generates clones of our none-too-bright hero. The unique mix of simultaneously droll and broad humor is very nicely delivered by a well-cast ensemble, resulting in a polished oddity that should make a splash at home, while attracting decent overseas interest.

The film represents a considerable leap from prolific music-video helmer van Dammen’s prior feature, 2013’s amusing if rough trailer-park rock musical “Romeo and Juliet: A Love Song,” and the tongue-in-cheek splashiness of its style is immediately engaging. John (Anton Tennet) is a prime punter in his town of 7,000, where long-deceased...