300 was one of the biggest genre changing movies of the last 20 years... it further pushed the comic book adaptions into the stratosphere and helped jump start the career of visionary director Zack Snyder. Snyder may not be everybody's favorite director, but his techniques and visual effects output is unmatched. 300 actually made Frank Miller & Lynn Varley's original comic come to life, and the action sequences literally are adapted shot for shot. Gerard Butler & Lena Hedley (among many others) had their careers launched into orbit, and it seemed like there would be sequels abound to follow. Talk about a follow up comic from the original creators started immediately, and even talks of where to take the direction of the film franchise were on the rise. But with the delay of 'Xeres' (the follow up comic from Miller & Varley) coming fast and frequent, Warner Brothers decided to stop waiting and start filming. So 300: Rise of An Empire is a film that is set in the world of Miller's creation, yet not the direct of a comic that the first film was. We got a new director (Noam Murro) and a full new cast (with the exception of Xeres, played again by Rodrigo Santoro) to tell another story during the Greek/Persian war. Good lawd, Eva Green is looking right! The movie pops off on March 7th, and I for one can't wait. The previews look good, and if it is nearly as much fun as the 1st film than I will be completely entertained. Check out this clip that was released by the studio, a kind of combo trailer/behind the scenes of things to come. You can see it after the jump...
