Cool News
UPDATE!! In That New 300 Movie Spin-Off Thingy, [???Themistocles???] And Artemisia Will Be Played By...
Merrick again...
As of this update, THR's report still has Stapleton playing Xerxes. HOWEVER, other outlets are now saying that while Stapleton is gonna be appearing in the film, he may not necessarily be Xerxes (THIS piece in Variety doesn't seem sure, THIS piece in Deadline says he's Themistocles- who fights Xerxes,- which makes more sense than his playing Xerxes...but it's Hollywood...)
if Stapleton is, indeed, playing Themistocles instead of Xerxes, might this feasibly pave the way for Rodrigo Santoro to reprise the Xerxes role he played in 300, as Deadline suggests? He was so striking and compelling and memorable in that picture...I'd hate to see the role unnecessarily recast...
More as we know more...
--- Original article follows... ---
------------------------
Merrick here...
ANIMAL KINGDOM's Sullivan Stapleton, who will also appear in Ruben Fleischer's GANGSTER SQUAD with Ryan Gosling and Sean Penn....
...will play Xerxes in a 300-verse film described thusly by THR:
The follow-up to 2006's Gerard Butler action pic 300 sees the Persian king-turned-god Xerxes lead an army against Greek forces, who have little training but are under the guidance of a general named Themistokles. (The giant battle at the center of this movie is supposed to occur at the same time as the fighting in 300.)
Xerxes was portrayed by Rodrigo Santoro in Zack Snyder's 2006 picture. If THR's report is accurate, not sure how he can be two places at once? I'm assuming some time separation (this new film precedes 300 is what I hear...)
Santoro's Xerxes was blinged out in Snyder's film...
...so I'm wondering if the character will have a different stylist in this new movie?
THR's sources are also telling them that Eva Green will play Artemisia the film - which'll be directed by Noam Murro. Murro directed 2008's SMART PEOPLE as well as a number of memorable commercials, and was once the helmer of the new DIE HARD movie (BEHIND ENEMY LINES' John Moore now has that gig).
You can see reels of Murro's impressive work HERE.
--- follow Merrick on Twiter ! ---
Readers Talkback
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And First.
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Feb. 9, 2012, 9:37 a.m. CST
That film is such a travesty. And to think we could've seen Gates of Fire on-screen instead
by kidicarus
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that is all.
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Jesus Fuck, leave it alone. What the fuck.
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......this is gonna suck.
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Seriously, Lost fans, that's Paulo there.
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Fuck him and any projects related to him. Also, because it's bound to suck anyway.
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why couldnt they keep the brown guy?
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I think Michael Mann had the option for Gates of Fire too. So did George Clooney - could have been amazing.
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I remember reading back in '86 how the left wasn't too pleased with the tone of The Dark Knight Returns. While you're boycotting, you may want to include the new Batman movie. Bane was created by Chuck Dixon, I believe. I think he would fall under your definition of fascist. Hell...if I boycotted stuff by actors and directors who are leftish, I'd be watching ... paint dry. I disagree with Matt Damon's politics but I still love the Bourne movies. I don't consider a celebrity's fame the same as "significance." I still think this movie is a bad idea, though. 300 should be a stand-alone movie.
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...and yeah, that would be one great movie. Alas, Snyder struck first.
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Feb. 9, 2012, 10:04 a.m. CST
Leonidas telling story of Hercules would have been better..
by IPRAYTOCROM
Years ago I had this idea that a really cool "prequel" to 300 would simply be Leonidas narrating the tale of Hercules and his 12 deeds. Since he mentioned they were descendants of Hercules himself I thought it would be pretty neat. First off it would be cool to see the tale of Hercules shown in the style of 300. Secondly, as this "news" has shown us, any other kind of prequel or sequel set in the 300 universe just isn't interesting enough IMO.
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Yikes. Spreading some bad info from THR here. Stapleton is playing Themosticles. Santoro will be back as Xerxes. Themosticles was a Naval general from Athens who fought the Persians on the sea at the same time as the battle of Thermopalae.
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THIS IS GAYBARRRRRR!!!!!!
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At least when he smashes in on the rich and tells them the hoarding money party's over.
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anybody still gives a shit about 300. No one was clamoring for a sequel at any point.
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It has a theatrical release now but Id be surprised if it keeps it
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Maybe a xenophobe. He certainly has no sympathy for anyone except for the relationships between old men and really young girls.
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I'll have to re-read that one. I remember reading about how they considered TDK as "bad" as those horrible, mean Dirty Harry movies. But he did caricature Reagan as a buffoon. He also showed a hypocritical lefty in the T interviews in TDK: "What? No, I'd never live in the city." He may have gotten crankier as he got older? Hell...Yoko Ono changed her tune regarding freeing prisoners from Attica. But reality tends to do that. (A certain guy named Mark David Chapman was a factor.)
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... seriously Hollywood?
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Talkbackers: never fail to amuse. Even if, and let's be honest, this does sound like a pretty bad idea. And from the guy who made Smart People....that's just bizarre.
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How bad is Die Hard 5 (A Good Day to Die Hard) gonna be, from the behind enemy lines guy? What is wrong with Bruce Willis? Of all Peolle he should understand why die hard rules. And he clearly has no idea if he keeps doing this shit
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Stapleton wouldn't necessarily be playing Xerxes, as was originally thought. Sources say the film, originally rooted as a prequel, is neither a prequel or a sequel and that the filmmakers are still figuring out its positioning.
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One of the most striking performances in 300 was given by this guy. Why recast the part? Strange.
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He's the Tom Cruise of Brazil! Maybe the dude was busy, I don't know. Although as a couple people up above mentioned, the details of this story might be wrong.
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Seriously, can they at least TRY to get someone that looks even vaguely Persian?
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Feb. 9, 2012, 11:31 a.m. CST
Thought STAPLETON was in talks to play the Greek and Xerxes was still the villain
by melonman
That would at least make more sense, wouldn't it?
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I still can't quite decide if that looks better or worse than: John (FLIGHT OF THE PHOENIX remake) Moore, or John (THE OMEN remake) Moore, or even John (MAX PAYNE adaptation) Moore There's really not a lot to work with, is there?
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Feb. 9, 2012, 12:04 p.m. CST
Xerxes can be in two places at once...
by Half-Baked-Goggle-Box-Do-Gooder
...because he IS a god! Duh, you dumb fuck. Alright, fuck all that. This sounds like it has possibilities, as long as it's a goddam deal more than "300" or any of it's brain-dead imitators - "Titans" and "Immortals", I'm looking at you. "Troy" would be more like it.
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removed all the dialog...the film looked amazing but everytime a person spoke it ruined the scene...should have made it like the artist....
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I like the way you cast it better, it makes way more sense that Santoro is back with Stapleton as the hero. Thanks for the cool correction!
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....would have been fantastic, as would the equally great "Killing Romell", if Disney had grown a pair. Stephen Pressed can do no wrong as far as writing historical based stories are concerned. His books are like stepping into a time machine.
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Pressfield! Damn phone.
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Yeah pretty liberal when you think about the person who is doing that is an ultra rich facist sociopath himself. Batman/Bruce Wayne is the epitome of a person with a black and white world view that doesn't correspond with society's norm. Therefore, he's a socipath and pretty facist. So I would hardly call Year One liberal.
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We're talking about mythological time and a being, especially a man-god can appear at two places at once. Its a pretty common element. So to raise real world objections to mythology is pretty weak.
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So all these lefties planning to sit out a 300 prequel might need to re-think things.
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Feb. 9, 2012, 1:50 p.m. CST
Probably weaker than the idea of a scorpion king spinoff of mummy
by UltraTron
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...idea of what a Commie Liberal is. If there ever was a movie that represented what goes on in the mind of a Neo-Conservative, 300 is it.
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Although 300 was a work of fiction,it was based on a real historical event.
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that guy is not Xerxes deadline even says he is playing Themistocles get your shit straight
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Feb. 9, 2012, 3:03 p.m. CST
NOTHING is as bad an idea as The Scorpian King...well maybe Howard the duck
by gus
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It's funny that he ultimately took the role when his Animal Kingdom costar Joel Edgerton was first mentioned as taking it. I was surprised to find out he's Aussie. If you ever saw him on Cinemax's Strike Back he does the stereotypical gung ho American so well I figured he was from Nebraska or something.
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Feb. 9, 2012, 3:34 p.m. CST
The 300 sequel should be based on the Anabasis (March of the 10,000)
by lv_426
It can even be a simple number title like 300, but this time... 10,000. 10,000 in that bloody red font. That'd do don't you think?
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Nolan's "The Dark Knight" can fall under that label too. In an article in The Washington Independent a critic said that Batman was pretty much Dick Cheney. Under Bush/Cheney we captured and held suspected terrorists. In TDK, he kidnapped the guy from Hong Kong. And then there's the phone tapping. "That's too much power for one man to have." Funniest thing about the movie was that Lucius Fox thought phone tapping was dangerous but building missiles for this dude who dressed as a bat was okay. I forgot who it was who wrote that Hollywood seems to think that conservative stories resonate with America best. It gave the tongue-in-cheek example of "Conservative: Boy meets girl...Boy loses girl...Boy fixes his problem and gets girl." vs. "Liberal: Boy meets girl...Boy loses girl...Boy pressures government to pass legislation to make girl love him." I think I'll wait for Red Box for this movie.
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At least not in those early Batman books. He didn't add anything to Batman's character just amplified them a bit. Whatever problem the left had with Miller's Batman are things that have always been there.
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Great show too.
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but i dont think he should play xerces... he's too white. the first guy was awesome!!! voice and all. besides isnt the persian king supposed to be dark skinned or something. it's persia for crying out loud!!!!
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...yes, some things are probably political allegory. Most things aren't. People project themselves way too much onto the media they watch (or sometimes don't watch). Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.
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he is'nt playing xerxes AICN needs to fix this article Variety and Deadline say he is playing Themosticles the role edgerton passed on
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Good to know... I really want them to bring back the first guy yeah it was awkward when he was talking to leonidas, but it wouldnt make sense to change the actor now, now that people recognize what xerces looked like... continuity i guess...
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Feb. 9, 2012, 4:48 p.m. CST
Eva Green is the only thing that could make me sit through another 300 movie
by Rebel Scumb
I'll watch her in ANYTHING, even that terrible first (and only) season of camelot she was the only good thing in.
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Yawn...sepia sucks ass!
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The ending in 300 pretty much implies that the Greeks win. Why would an audience watch this if they already blatantly know what happens as a result of the first movie?
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Loosely based on a historical event. Its a shame that the other Greeks (along with their slaves who were obviously forced to fight) at that battle were shafted in the movie.
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But the book, GATES OF FIRE, was excellent, as was his book on Alexander in Afghanistan.
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Feb. 9, 2012, 8:28 p.m. CST
It is really strange that SIN CITY: A DAME TO KILL FOR has not been made, right?
by the Green Gargantua
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In the case of Hollywood however there is no doubt there is a collectivist agenda pushed. Just as its clear that Fox News pushes a republican agenda. You are fooling yourself if you think that there isn't something in 90% of the films you watch intended to influence your thinking about politics or social issues.
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They have to get him to reprise the role, it was the most striking performance of the whole movie.
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Isn't that the AICN demographic? Isn't Harry the iconic posterboy for type 2 diabetic basement dwelling movie haters who will never be in a position to make a movie themselves?
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is more badass than Leonidas. FACT.
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This battle was fucking unimportant. 3 days of mostly stalemate... who fucking comes up with these ideas? Make it about Salamis or GTFO.
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But it seems that Themistocles was a middle aged man by the time the battle of Artemisium occured. Themistocles was a veretan of the first persian invasion, and the events depicted in 300 report to the second persian invasion, which happened ten years before. Themistocles was born in 524BC, and the battle of Artemisium happened in 480BC. Themistocles was 44 then, which was a bit of an advanced age at the time. The real story of Themistoclesis actualy quite fascinating even beyond his involvement in the batles of Marathon, Artemisium and Salamis. He had a very rich life full of political intrigue and war events. His life could make for a badass TV show like ROME.
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Feb. 10, 2012, 6:05 a.m. CST
Awesome! More homophobic homoeroticism for closet queens across the geek-o-sphere.
by NeonFrisbee
Seriously, 300 is so gay it's practically Top Gun. It's so gay it's practically gay pron. Gay pron for closet queens!
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Michael Mann got this close to make GATES OF FIRE, didn't he? And given his tendency to go for realistic scenarios and great attention to detail, he could had probably made a one hell of a great Battle Of Marathon movie, but done realistic not cartoony like 300. A great missed oportunity indeed.
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Word!
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He was iconic and there's no reason to change (unless they're trying to be realistic, but if it takes place in the same 'verse as 300 then it won't be, which is fine).
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Feb. 10, 2012, 10:35 a.m. CST
asimov, I recall both of these films being mentioned in development at the same time
by kidicarus
It's a shame which one actually made it out the gates. We could've had the next Gladiator, when all we got was the next Matrix (not quality-wise, of course, but that it's impact on other films was primarily in the visual department.)
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Yes indeed. i think we got the short end of the stick, don't you agree?
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