Although I’d treat this with a little scepticism at the moment, Vulture is reporting that Guy Ritchie was been offered Xerxes, the sequel to 300. However as this project has very firmly been in Zack Snyder’s court, with the 300 director working on it since last summer and suggesting it’s something he feels committed to, it’s worth waiting for official confirmation – and of course even if Snyder doesn’t end up working on the film, it doesn’t mean Ritchie will, even if he has been offered it.
Xerxes is based on another of Frank Miller’s graphic novel. Here is what Zack Snyder said about the plot to Xerxes, which he called neither a prequel or a sequel to 300: “This movie follows Themistocles and the Battle of Artemisium, which coincidentally happens on the exact same three days as the Battle of Thermopylae [which was the basis of 300]. This one starts off with a quick retelling of the why of the Persian wars. It starts off at the Battle of Marathon and then it goes back to Themistocles finding out that Persians are invading again. and off we go over to learn a little bit about why Xerxes is the way he is.”
If Snyder is off the project, it’s being suggested that it’s because Warner Bros wants him to concentrate solely on Superman, which has a ticking clock on it, due to certain rights surrounding the character reverting to the original creators in 2013. Vulture also hints that Warner are becoming less enamoured with Snyder after the commercial failure of Watchmen and Legend Of The Guardians, and bad test screenings for his upcoming Sucker Punch. However if they were that upset, why would they have offered him Superman?
If Ritchie has been offered Xerxes, it’s most likely due to timing. Snyder is going to be working on Superman until late 2012, so perhaps they think they can get Guy to slip in the Greek action flick after Sherlock Holmes 2 (and presumably before Sherlock 3).