Gerard Butler could be back as Leonidas in the prequel to 300

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

We expect that the 300 prequel BATTLE OF ARTEMISIA will feature an exaggerated hyper-style similar to the original, but it could have more ties than just superficial.

It’s conceivable that Gerard Butler could return to his star-making, flesh-slicing role as King Leonidas, accompanied by his bold wife Queen Gorgo (played by Lena Headey, now making royal mischief on “Game of Thrones”). As producer Bernie Goldmann tells Movies.com: “It’s a different story. [However] there’s a small part for Lena [Headey]. There’s a small part for Gerry [Butler].”

Goldmann admits that aside from the possible return of some familiar faces, most of the actors will again be relative unknowns, who (much like Butler, Headey and Michael Fassbender) could kickstart their careers if audiences turn out to see more of the spectacularly violent historical revisionism.

Director Noam Murro, known for his HALO commercials, is handling the bloodshed for Warner Bros. The story is based on Frank Miller’s graphic novel XERXES, which he describes as such: “”The time frame begins 10 years before ‘300‘ and the story starts with the Battle of Marathon, which was killer to draw, by the way, even if it was a lot of work. The lead character is Themistocles who became warlord of Greece and built their navy. The story is very different than ‘300‘ in that it involves Xerxes search for godhood. The existence of gods are presupposed in this story and the idea is that he well on his way to godhood by the end of the story. With Themistocles I have a character who is almost the dead opposite of Leonidas in that Themistocles was a lying, conniving, brilliant, heroic figure. He was nicknamed ‘The Subtle Serpent’ and he always manages to do the exact right things that will result in him benefiting greatly.“