In 2006, two years after making his filmmaking debut with the Dawn of the Dead remake, Zack Snyder delivered 300, the first of his many comic book adaptations. This cinematic take on the Dark Horse Comics same-named book series by Frank Miller and Lynn Varley made a killing at the box office, and if you’re like me, you remember “This is Sparta!”, the line exclaimed by Gerard Butler’s Leonidas, being frequently spouted out in public. Well, get ready for that line to become popular again, as word’s come in that a 300 prequel TV series is in the works.
According to Variety, plot details for this 300 show haven’t been worked out yet, as it’s in early development. However, the publication has heard that Zack Snyder is in talks to direct and produce it. His wife Deborah Snyder and producing partner Wesley Coller would also produce through The Stone Quarry production banner, which Zack and Deborah founded. Producers Gianni Nunnari, Mark Canton and Bernie Goldmann are also in talks to return.
The original 300 movie depicted a fictional version of the Battle of Thermopylae in the Greco-Persian Wars, where 300 Spartans, led by the aforementioned King Leonidas, battled an invading army of over 300,000 soldiers led by Rodrigo Santoro’s Xerxes, who was the “god-like” King of Persia. The cast also included a pre-Game of Thrones Lena Headey, David Wenham, Giovanni Cimmino, Dominic West, Vincent Regan and Tom Wisdom, among others. Though 300 was commercially successful, it was met with mixed critical reception, boasting a 61% Tomatometer on Rotten Tomatoes, though it has a kinder Audience Score of 89%.
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This will be the second time that the 300 property has shined onscreen, because in 2014, 300: Rise of an Empire was released, which covered events before, during and after the previous movie. Actor like Headey, Santos and Tiernan reprised their roles alongside new faces like Sullivan Stapleton, Eva Green and Jack O’Connell, and Noam Murro sat in the director’s chair this time around. Zack Snyder remained involved as a producer and co-writing the script with Kurt Johnstad. Just like 300, Rise of an Empire did decently at the box office, but earned mixed reviews.
Since it’s so early into the creative process, it’s hard to say if this 300 TV show would follow a younger version of Leonidas or perhaps simply focus on a new characters years ahead of the Battle of Thermopylae. One thing we can reasonably count on, though, is that if the project moves forward, we won’t find it airing over traditional TV given the level of violence. Warner Bros. Television will either put it on HBO, one of the premium cable channels, or take it to streaming, specifically releasing it to Max subscription holders.
CinemaBlend will pass along any concrete updates concerning this 300 TV show once they come in. Meanwhile, Zack Snyder’s most recent projects, the Rebel Moon movies, can be streamed with a Netflix subscription.