HOME TRAILERS 2013 SCHEDULE PODCASTS REVIEWS POSTERS INTERVIEWS SHORT FILMS NEWS FEEDS ABOUT APPS

LATEST NEWS

Frank Miller's Battle of Marathon 300 Prequel Titled 'Xerxes'

by Alex Billington
December 15, 2009
Source: Hero Complex

When you look back at this decade, there were actually quite a few fantastic sword-and-sandal movies, like Gladiator, Troy, 300, and so on. The trend continues strongly even next year with Clash of the Titans and Percy Jackson & the Olympians both due out before the summer even begins. Geoff Boucher looks at this trend in a new article on Hero Complex and hidden in there is a nugget of info on Frank Miller's sequel to 300. "Miller is preparing a follow-up now titled Xerxes, which begins about 10 years before the events of 300, and Snyder has expressed interest in it as a film property as well." Love the title, but what is it about?

"It's the Battle of Marathon through my lens," Miller explained to Hero Complex. "I've finished the plot and I'm getting started on the artwork." The Battle of Marathon took place back in 490 BC during the first Persian invasion of Greece. It was fought between the citizens of Athens, aided by Plataea, and a Persian force commanded by Datis and Artaphernes. It was revealed previously by Zack Snyder that this prequel would take place between the Battle of Thermopylae and the Battle of Plataea (that was seen at the end of 300) and would supposedly focus on the character of Dilios, played by David Wenham in the first movie.

With this title revealed, though, I have a feeling it may focus a bit more on Xerxes (seen above), played by Rodrigo Santoro, who was the villain and leader of the Persian army in 300. In history, it was Xerxes' father Darius who fought the Battle of Marathon and then sent Xerxes to punish the Spartans for their victory. Why does Frank Miller think Greek myths are so popular in Hollywood recently? "Every generation returns to ancient Greece because, well, the stories are so damn good." He also said that during his research trips to Greece he realized that the myth and history overlap begins to blur, which adds to the storytelling allure.

Filed under Movie News, Opinions

From around the web:

http://movies.iconocritic.com peloquin

HAHAHAHA I beat Xerxex to the first comment ;o)
Cant Wait

Horrible title. So many more choices for a name, but they choose a boring character name. Let me guess, they are going to over-emphasize the "X" in the movies logo? The movie will be great though because the story is great. He is right, ancient Greek mythology and history are just too addicting. Overall, I cant wait for this. Just please change the name!
Xerxex

funny peloquin, don't get too comfortable though, lol. The title isn't all too great but I like the idea of the story.
JakeTheSnake

Story is decent and the title isn't that bad.
Movietweeter

Troy was a BIGASS letdown. Although having big names such as the late/great Peter, Brad, Eric, and Orlando. Boring as fuck movie. Im sure there are others that agree. It was not great, it was booooooring!
karl

300 was a great looking bad movie. basically another "hollowood" white wash of history. King Leonidas with a Scottish accent? where did he find a fresh red apple after the first fight ? the fight scenes were lame. filled with heavy metal guitar riffs and slow motion blurs to make up for a lack of fighting choreography. sorry to hurt the feelings of those of you who enjoyed the oily, men's fitness models in g-strings. what a soft bunch of posers. when Stelios cried about his son dying I wanted to jump into the movie and kill him for showing weakness (to die in battle is the goal of every warrior). that being said, the visuals were enough to consider seeing the sequel.
Have Hope

Hmmm, let's see whether Snyder will pick a white man and give him brown skin. Racist idiot. Miller made Xerxes look like an East African, but Snyder picks a white guy instead. Well, I look forward to the comic...don't bother watching "comic book movies" these days. HH
Daniel Vu Tran

@5 I disagree, the mood and feeling of Troy were beyond Epic at some points in the movie, and I almost never get that feeling. The last movie that I got that from was Watchmen. (Haven't seen Avatar yet, though.) @6 Fight scenes were awesome, it's all up to opinion. For instance some people like humans with flight, as seen in Asian movies. While some Americans love shoot em up type movies. I loved the 300 fight scenes. However, this still pertains to be my favorite type of fighting style in movies - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZs48lJXhxM Amazing. Anyway, that is all.
Xerxex

Have Hope Rodrigo Santoro is brazilian.
Mat

Scissor me Xerxes!
d1rEct

My god if 300 wasn't bad enough Snyder already annouces he's interested in another before Frank Miller starts work on art for his book. #7 - There isn't anything racist about that, i suggest you grab a dictionary.
Scott McHenry

#7 Snyder picked RODRIGO SANTORO, HE IS NOT WHITE!
I am Ron Burgundy?

@ 2, 7, 6 Oh you guys, Always trying your hardest to sound so witty and intelligent with your f'n babblings, I hope you all die in a horrible car crash as thousands drive by and watch as they clean up your scattered body parts. The movie sounds good so far. Hope'n for the best.
Ronald

#6. LOL. Lame O'. His son wasn't killed in battle. He was killed when his back was turned jackass. Bunch of posers? You realize they are actors right? All actors are posers! LOL. I bet you are a Twilight fan. #7. You are the idiot. Since when is Rodrigo Santoro white. LOL Can't wait to see the graphic novel, hopefully the movie is a badass and epic as 300. F**k you haters.
h repeats

the battle of Thermopylae was 300 so if this takes place between thermopyle and platea wouldnt that be a sequel??
Cody

I was gonna go on my usual self righteous rant about how stupid some of the posters here are but omfg its just too easy.......#6 and #7 like are you guys trying to be intentionally total fucking retards? /end smaller self righteous rant.
karl

#8 sorry can't feel you on the fight scenes. to many camera and editing tricks to cover up a lack of interesting physical movements. I love good fight scenes from all over the world. the are plenty of American movies with great fight scenes. unfortunately there plenty of bad ones. one of the few good things about "Troy" were the fight scenes. #13 sorry to hurt your feelings. "I am Ron Burgundy?" is a far wittier and intelligent name than I could come up with and after the crash you can have my ass to kiss. #14 they were in the midst of a battle with the Persians or were you confusing this movie with "Meet the Spartans". Posers as in a bunch of "to sexy for this battle" looking warriors. his tears in the movie and yours while you were watching shows how you are both weak and would bring shame and defeat to your fellow Spartans. and yes I am ashamed that I enjoyed "twilight", it touched my feminine side. I do own a hard cover version of the graphic novel that is awesome. I have been a huge Frank Miller fan since his first Daredevil in Peter Parker the S.S. his movies have great style but are not great movies. I would much rather watch Sin City with sexy female assassins or a hulking brute kill a psychopath than an "axe" commercial for teen age boys. when I go to the theater for the sequel I will look around to see who is "air fighting" with misty eyes while mumbling "for Sparta and Democracy".
Colt

#6...does the fresh apple seriously bother you? if so, I'd say you should stop watching movies. If that bothers you then my god, you must have no trouble finding something wrong with every single movie out there. get over it and move along and don't watch this movie when it comes out
greg

300 is an impressive technical achievement, but there are some peculiar, idiosyncratic elements in that movie. I know this is not history but a subjective presentation of history. But in one scene, the Persians use what looks like a crude form of canon ball, presumably with gun powder inside. To my knowledge, the gun powder was not invented in China until 9th century AD, not 480BC. There is more than 1200 years of discrepancy here.
greg

They should just call the new movie "Marathon" Then folks would know that's where the sports term "marathon" comes from...
pj

fuck u people the cheeziest action movie of all is 300 if twilight works for women, 300 and transformers works the same way for men (mindless men) it even doesnt have any story to say its great or not and of course its not anything close to good
pj

the cheeziest action movie of all is 300 if twilight works for women, 300 and transformers works the same way for men (mindless men) it even doesnt have any story to say its great or not and of course its not anything close to good
pj

@ #7 you idiot persians r not brown
300er

horrible name, change it miller. the story has worked for generations without emphasizing on xerxes. take the hint already!
pj

the should call it kiss my ass white bitch
http://www.daequitas.deviantart.com burak "Daequitas"

hi Karl/#6 first of all its not my intend to pick an argument but solely trade ideas in my opinion it was not the lack of fight choreography that led them to use "the slow down then speed up" technique that was used in the film but the need to do something new with fight scenes. and to a great success, director has achieved what Watchowski bros have done with matrix 10 years ago with 360degree camera spins. he has set a new technique in the industry. the actors were all trained in the ways of the spartan war techniques by the experts on the subject, how to yield the shield, form a defensive line, use it to push back the offensive line, thrust the lance, slice with the sword etc. if you get a hold of the special edition Bluray or dvd you can watch the behind the scenes. we werent supposed to see any fancy moves because Spartans didnt have any fancy moves and etc. to them, it was all efficiency and team work. them not wearing any armor even had a purpose. those are all facts that one can see in history channels documentaries. and Apples heheheh there is no better way to get the sugar up in blood after a tiring sports event than to bite down some fresh fruits and apples are the designated deliverer there were only three things in our backpacks after our swimming and football training; an apple, a lime or lemon and some water just because we dont see them stopping to take a crap doesnt mean they didnt so they could have brought it the apples with them, bought on the way or stole from a field as they passed its not a big deal.. i am not that much a great lover of 300 as a film (and i am a die hard fan of the Graphic Novel myself) but i have to admit what it brought to us.. a great 2+ hours of great visuals (haha and thats the second thing we agree on ) and an above moderate adaptation. the accuracy of the facts and the source material can always be discussed. but there certainly no "lack" in whats done. from what i have read, seen and watched it delivered most of its "intend"s About the prequel, they can have a better choice of a title than "Xerxes" and hope Zack goes for even newer ways to shoot it if he getes reconnected with the merchandise. cause he has to out do himself if he doesnt want to repeat himself i just hope mr miller doesnt do any more directing but provides his genious layouts, storyboards and camera angles to the director i myself a die hard comic collector and movie goer and would definetely see this on its openind day. cheers
ron

300=One of the coolest movies ever #21 and 22. Why did you post twice. We got it, you like Twilight. The name of the movie should not be Xerxes BTW.
bozo

300 has grown on me over time. Ridiculously. I am stoked for this one.
Name

Battle of Plataea is far more interesting...
http://www.teaser-trailer.info/ movie trailer fan

The Xerxes is probably going to based around the life of a young prince in training and all that's why the name his dad the one who fraught the battle will probably be a secondary character...
dan

300 Spartan was bad enough, it as a comic: ))). How could 300 men armed with swords stand against an army of 300000. The Germen with machine gum and cannons couldn’t stop allied force to land in Normandy. It is absolute rubbish, Frank Miller wants publicity and to make it sounds grate by using Xerxes name. Xeroxes hasen’t got anything to do with the war in marathon!!! Its like call a movie Napoleon and the movie is about First World War!!!!LLLLOoooollllll
Wally

#6 It wasnt stelios's son that died, it was artemis. The fight scenes in 300 were fantastic, a true tribute to spartan tradition and warfare. And #31, if you teach a child to fight from when he can stand, take it away at 7 and drill it full of all the military ideas, beliefs and practices that had been perfected by a superpower civilisation for over 300 years, and bring 300 of those complete warriors with you im pretty sure along with a great tactical plan of bottle necking you can do alot of damage. It's my understanding that it was 1000 spartans and 4000 soldiers from other greek nations fighting against the 300k persian slaves in the history books, but the affect is still the same.. alot of spilt persian blood.
BeachJustice

#32, I'm curious what retarded history book you have been reading, slavery was banned in the Persian empire and all the military were conscripts and professional soldiers. Take note: first universal human rights doctrine, the Cyrus Cylinder. And the effect turned out to be Persians winning at the Hot Gates and ultimately sacking Athens. Also, Sassanid Persians kicked Greek ass. Conquered Alexandria, Caeserea (and even Judea)). I will accept that in terms of innovation, the Achaemenid Persian civilization was much older than the Greeks at the time of the Greco-Persian wars and Greek military tactis, strategy, and tools did tend to be superior in conventional warfare, until the rein of the Sassanid Persians who helped further modernize warfare, even the late Romans modeled their cavalry tactics and armor around their at the time world famous heavy cavalry corps, and their ability to conduct siege warfare allowed them to rapidly expand into Roman territory in the Byzantine era. That being said, the Achaemenid Dynasty followed from one of the oldest large civilizations of human kind, and originated all the innovations necessary for the first pan-continental empire, whereas there was never a Greek Empire, or barely any Greek superpower. I'm tired of hollywood-inspired history, learn some REAL history.
korop

please, can we understand all of us that this is only a comic? persians and greeks and chineses and etc.etc . we are all humans and every old and new civiliaztion is a part of human civilazation. What happen if persians is older than greeks? nothing at all. and remember, the history is writen by the winners, and has a lot of trues and lies. thanks .
joseph

Joseph from Greece,300 was great movie and now i would like to see the part two...another great battle with the persians. The battle of Marathon.........
DoonM

Ancient Persia was far more superior in both culture and civilization than ancient Greece. These movies are produced to compensate that jealousy west has against Persian/Iran and the Middle east, where civilization started!
- John4356
  
  Thank god that Greek valour won and allowed the development of Greek classical civilisation and the further development of democracy, which, unortunately, is still a distant dream for Persia even today.
fDuke

Ancient Persia had a Great Civilization at the time that was totally stolen from the Lydians. This civilization was an absolute monarch system that only the aristocrats where flourishing and the people suffered. What did they leave in this world...almost Nothing. The Greek civilization was based in city-states that even the lowest socioeconomic casts had rights and participated in war and in politics. Ancient Greece gave us half of the todays Western Civilization and most of the philosophy and arts. I hope this new movie is not again about Spartans cause Athens (that 1st fought the Persians and won in open fields) where the greatest of all Greeks. Salute to all that like Epic movies.