This news comes at a funny time, as I just had a conversation with a colleague about Zack Snyder’s 300, and how it’s this brand sitting around doing nothing. Well, Warner Bros. Television must’ve had a spy nearby, because Variety reports that a series based on the Spartan franchise is in the works…with Snyder possibly returning to direct.
Snyder is in talks to direct and exec-produce the 300 series, which would be a prequel to the hit 2006 movie which told a fictional, over-the-top violent take on the Battle of Thermopylae between the Spartans, led by King Leonidas, and the Persian army led by Xerxes. The original movie was based on Frank Miller’s graphic novel, and made a whopping $456M worldwide. A less-regarded sequel, 300: Rise of an Empire, was released in 2014 and made $336M. So you can see why WB would want to keep this franchise alive.
Some big names were part of the two 300 films, but at this point none are expected to reprise their roles. Gerard Butler was ripped back then for the role of Leonidas, and so was Michael Fassbender, Dominic West, David Wenham, and others including Lena Headey, Eva Green, and Jack O’Connell.
Snyder’s in an interesting position right now. After a lot of buzz, his two recent Rebel Moon films got hammered by critics and audiences. It’s unclear what his relationship with Netflix is like right now, so maybe a return to WB, a place he called home for many years, is the way to go?
