Before Zack Snyder left Warner Bros. behind, he developed a script for what was supposed to be a sequel to 300 titled Blood and Ashes. The studio ultimately passed on the project, but THR has reported that Snyder has regained the rights to the script.
Blood and Ashes wound up having little to do with 300 as it focused on the relationship between Alexander the Great and Haphaestion. Part love story and part ancient Greek war epic, it may have been too much for the studio at the time. Given that the project has no connection with 300, Snyder was able to get the rights back. “We got the rights back so we can make if we want it,” Snyder said. “I don’t know what the marketplace is for an incredibly homoerotic, super violent, super sexual movie. But maybe it’s perfect.“
300 was Zack Snyder’s first experience in the realm of comic-book movies. The highly stylized retelling of the Battle of Thermopylae was adapted from the comic by Frank Miller. Snyder co-wrote the film and returned nearly a decade later to co-write 300: Rise of an Empire. It remains to be seen if Blood and Ashes will ever see the light of day, but perhaps Zack Snyder will be able to convince Netflix to tackle it.
Speaking of Netflix, Snyder’s next film for the streaming service will be Rebel Moon. Here’s the official logline: “When a peaceful colony on the edge of a galaxy finds itself threatened by the armies of a tyrannical ruling force, Kora (Sofia Boutella), a mysterious stranger living among the villagers, becomes their best hope for survival. Tasked with finding trained fighters who will unite with her in making an impossible stand against the Mother World, Kora assembles a small band of warriors — outsiders, insurgents, peasants and orphans of war from different worlds who share a common need for redemption and revenge. As the shadow of an entire Realm bears down on the unlikeliest of moons, a battle over the fate of a galaxy is waged, and in the process, a new army of heroes is formed.“
Rebel Moon: Part One – A Child of Fire will be released on Netflix on December 22nd, followed by Rebel Moon: Part Two – The Scargiver on April 19, 2024.