"This Is Sparta!?" Watch the First Trailer for '300: Rise Of An Empire'

Zack Snyder was too busy with that whole Man of Steel thing to bother with 300: Rise of an Empire, the sequel to the 2006 swords 'n sandals film that defined his visual oeuvre. With Snyder slipping into a producer role, the film was stocked with unknowns, led by director Noam Murro and new star Sullivan Stapleton, taking over since Gerard Butler and the other Spartans got wiped out last time. But in what is either a shocking lack of confidence or shrewd maneuvering, Warner Bros. bumped the film from its August perch all the way to next March. But 300 is still recognized as a Snyder film, and the studio has dropped the first trailer to capitalize on his increased profile.

Based on Frank Miller's graphic novel, the story takes the action to the high seas as Themistokles (Stapleton) leads a Greek army against the might of Persian ruler Xerxes (a returning Rodrigo Santoro) and his fierce naval commander, Artemisia (Eva Green). Lena Headey and David Wenham reprise their roles from the prior film, but mostly it'll be new blood stylishly spilling fresh blood. Murro is basically aping Snyder's visual approach, which was dynamic seven years ago but doesn't seem to have that same edge.

300: Rise of an Empire opens on March 7th 2014.


300- Rise of an Empire by Teaser-Trailer.com