Sequels are always a tricky thing, as they can either propel or completely destroy a franchise. Putting together a follow-up to Zack Snyder’s highly influential and widely loved 300 has to be a daunting task, but director Noam Murro was up for the job. His new film, 300: Rise of an Empire, hits theatres on Friday and many people are curious to see if he’ll be able to re-capture what made Snyder’s original so special.
Though most of the characters here are brand new, we do see a few returning faces as the story follows Greek general Themistokles (Sullivan Stapleton), who leads his troops against Xerxes’ (Rodrigo Santoro) Persian navy and their ruthless naval commander Artemisia (Eva Green, who is fantastic here and definitely a highlight).
Full of all the blood, gore, slow-mo kills, fantastic visuals and over-the-top action that you would expect from a sequel to Snyder’s 300, the film is a worthy follow-up that will surely please those who enjoyed the original.
Recently, we attend the 300: Rise of an Empire press day in Los Angeles and while there we had the chance the conduct an exclusive video interview with several members of the cast. Speaking to Green, Lena Heady, Jack O’Connell and Callan Mulvey, we got the lowdown on the highly anticipated sequel and found out what it was like making a movie that’s so full of testosterone. Was it enjoyable for the ladies to be on set with all those abs running around? Did O’Connell and Mulvey feel the need to compete with one another?
Find out by watching the video below and be sure to catch 300: Rise of an Empire when it marches into theatres this Friday.