This feature film, somewhere between a peplum and an action film, left its mark upon its release in 2006, quickly becoming a cult work. Is a sequel possible? His director responds!
“We are Spartans!” King Leonidas, hero of Zack Snyder’s 300, made his mark in 2006. Played by Gerard Butler, the character has become a true icon of pop culture. The work, shot with a budget of 65 million dollars, became a real phenomenon, bringing in 456 million greenbacks internationally.
The feature film was entitled to a sequel in 2014: The Birth of an Empire. This time, the budget almost doubled (110 million) but that was not enough to make this second film a success equal to the first.
With $337 million in worldwide revenue and mixed reviews, The Rise of an Empire, directed by Noam Murro, greatly disappointed fans.
Since then, we thought the saga was dead and buried, especially after the conflict between Warner and Zack Snyder over Justice League in 2017. Indeed, the director had offered the studio a sequel to 300 entitled Blood and Ashes but Warner refused, signing the divorce certificate from the filmmaker.
Six years later, at the microphone of The Hollywood Reporterthe director spoke of a possible resurrection of the 300 project: Blood and Ashes. “We got the rights back so we can do it if we want. I don’t know what the public demand is for such a homoerotic, super violent, super sexual film. But maybe it’s the perfect time. “
We have recovered the rights and so we can do it if we want.
The project would be to produce an ambitious epic centered on the relationship between Alexander the Great and his commander Haphaestion. This new 300 would explore the passionate romance between the two men against the backdrop of armed conflict.
Zack Snyder began working on the script in 2019 before delivering Army of the Dead to Netflix in 2021. The filmmaker then set about directing Rebel Moon Part 1, expected for December 22 on the platform.
As for the second part, it will arrive on April 19, 2024. Will Zack Snyder be able to start production on 300: Blood and Ashes after that? It’s going to take a little patience to find out.
Furthermore, after the fashion for superheroes, will that of peplums make a comeback? Gladiator 2, due on November 20, 2024, will give us a glimpse of the public’s eventual enthusiasm for the genre.