A new concept trailer imagines a Zack Snyder project that fans of the divisive director would no doubt love to see happen: 300: Born of an Empire. Not only does the idea pick up after one of Snyder’s best-loved movies, the swords-and-sandals epic 300, it also offers up the perfect cast of A-listers, as Henry Cavill, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and Pedro Pascal take the lead.
Created by YouTube user Darth Trailer, the footage teases what a 300 sequel could look like, picking up “after the events of King Leonidas’ legendary last stand” and following a new cast of characters as they face-off with the immensely powerful Persian Empire. The concept trailer casts Pascal as Spartan warrior, Johnson as a feared commander, and Henry Cavill as a “tactical genius guiding the Spartans.” Check out the concept trailer for 300: Born of an Empire below.
While the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) and deep fakes are rightly seen by many as the beginnings of an existential nightmare, it’s undeniably fun for movie fans to see what projects such as these (which, let’s be honest, will never happen in real-life) could look like. And no doubt many a Snyder fan will now be wondering how the likes of Pedro Pascal, Henry Cavill, and Dwayne Johnson could be tempted to join the brutal and bloody world of 300.
A 300 Prequel Is Now in the Works (For Real)
Released in 2006 and based on the 1998 comic book series of the same name by Frank Miller and Lynn Varley, 300 is a retelling of the Battle of Thermopylae in the Greco-Persian Wars. The plot follows the king of Sparta, Leonidas (portrayed by a pitch perfect Gerard Butler), as he leads his badly outnumbered warriors against the massive Persian army. Critics at the time were mixed on the movie, but it is now considered to be one of Zack Snyder’s best, and led to the (lesser) sequel 300: Rise of an Empire in 2014.
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Though it won’t be in a sequel like 300: Born of an Empire, the 300 franchise is set to continue. Zack Snyder himself recently confirmed that a prequel TV series is now in the works, with the Rebel Moon and Watchmen filmmaker returning to helm the currently rather mysterious project.
“We’re just getting ready to dive in and get to work on it. It’s super fun, I love the world. And even just in the preliminary meetings we’ve had talking about, like, ‘What if this happened or that happened,’ just a lot of it’s just really fun to like go, wow, it’s a rich standard. It’s similar to this [Twilight of the Gods] in a weird way. As far as there’s a lot of underpinnings.”
Plot details for the series are currently under wraps, but it has been revealed that “it is believed to be a prequel to the film,” with exact details of the story “still being worked out.” Surely this can only mean that a young Leonidas series is happening. But who would you like to see take on the unenviable task of taking over from Gerard Butler as the brave Spartan leader?
