300: BATTLE OF ARTEMISIA Gets a New Director

Warner Bros. has finally found a director for the 300 prequel, 300: Battle of Artemisia. Zack Snyder was set to direct it before he took on Man of Steel, but the WB didn't want to wait for him to make this 300 prequel so they had to pick someone to direct it for them. 

Smart People director Noam Murro is the man who will take the Spartans into battle this time around. He was going up against director Jaum Collet-Serra (Unknown), but Warner Bros. recently hired him to direct the live-action adaptation of Akira. So it looks like each director got a nice little directing gig. An official offer will go out to Murro next week.

I haven't seen the film Smart People yet, so I'm not sure how good of a director he is, but I do know that Smart People is not a hardcore bloody action adventure film. I wonder if the studio will want him to mimic the directing style of Snyder so it's consistent with the first movie. 

The film is based on Frank Miller's graphic novel Xerxes, which tells the story of how "Xerxes rose to power in fifth-century-BC Persia and became known as 'The King of Kings,' eventually raising and leading a massive army intent on ruthlessly destroying the hated Greeks who killed his father. Xerxes seeks nothing less than to become a god himself -- and achieves his wish!"

I thought 300 was an awesome film, and I think that this prequel written by Zack Snyder and Kurt Johnstad will make for a solid story. I love the actual history and mythology behind this story. I know this is really how it all went down, but it's still a cool interpretation that people can have fun with. 

What do you think about Murro taking on this 300 prequel?