The spin-off from / prequel to / sequel to 300 has been going through a few birth pangs on its slow march to the screen. It’s had at least one title already (Battle Of Artemisium, which is now apparently in the bin) and went through a long search to find a director. Now that Noam Murro’s got the job, he’s cast the second actor for the film, with Sullivan Stapleton signing on.
Stapleton, who had a supporting role in ace Australian drama Animal Kingdom, is on to play Themistocles. He’s joining Eva Green, who has been in talks to play Artemisia.
The film finds Persian king-who-thinks-he’s-a-god Xerxes (originally played by Rodrigo Santoro in 300) sending his forces against the Greeks. The opposing army is an ill-trained mob, but they are led by a skilled general named Themistocles. Apparently, while the movie will partly serve as a prequel to Zack Snyder’s 2007 film, the new story’s big battle will take place at roughly the same time as the scrap in the original - so the sea battle of Artemisium then, eh?
Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures is looking to kick off shooting on the film soon, and is in the process of rounding up the rest of the cast.
Stapleton’s next big gig is also for Warners: he has a small role in Gangster Squad, which kicks in our cinema doors on November 9.