300 Sequel News

Collider spoke with 300 producers Mark Canton, Gianni Nunnari and Bernie Goldmann at the recent Saturn Awards and got them to reveal that not only are they working on a Blu-ray edition of the film but they’re also planning a sequel and/or prequel. Frank Miller is busy working on a brand new story and director Zack Snyder says that if they think it could work as a movie, they’re going to make it!

I know some people would prefer 300 to stay as a standalone film, however this is Hollywood. 300 was a surprise hit for Warner Bros, having septupled (x7) its budget, so it makes business sense to jump on the sequel bandwagon.

What are your thoughts?

Frank Miller Prepping 300 Sequel

300

Warner Bros’ 300 has crossed the $100 million mark at the box office, it its eighth day of release. Variety is reporting that Frank Miller is also hard at work prepping a follow-up to 300 based on another mythic tale from Greek history. But good ol’ Frank won’t divulge details.

Talk of a 300 sequel isn’t anything new. Producer Mark Canton spoke briefly about the possibility last month:

“If it all works out I’m sure we’ll all be scrambling Zack [Snyder] and Frank Miller and everyone to figure out exactly ‘301?,” Canton told our friends at FirstShowing. “Where there’s a will there’s a way, honestly. And the thing about Frank, you just don’t know - he has a lot of stories he may want to tell that may be associated or not, but we just want this one to satisfy first.”

So the question now becomes: what mythic tale from greek history will Miller update?

Some readers have suggested that a sequel could be made using 10,000: The Battle of Plataea or the naval Battle of Salamis.

Whatever it may be, don’t expect it anytime soon. Miller will co-direct Sin City 2 later this year, before going it alone for the first time ever in an adaptation of Will Eisner’s The Spirit.

Miller is also busy working on the All Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder comic book series for DC, as well as finishing up the 200-plus-page “Holy Terror, Batman!” graphic novel (currently set for a 2007 release).

300 Prequel/Sequel Moving Forward

Earlier today, Peter reported on the race to the screen between two new Greek mythology epics inspired by 300. The flip side of this news is that both director Zack Snyder and 300 producers, Mark Canton and Gianni Nunnari (who are also producing one the aforementioned epics) confirmed to Collider at the Saturn Awards that a 300 sequel/prequel is finally bubbling.

“We’re working on sequel of 300, the prequel of 300,” said Nunnari. Canton chimed in with, “We’re looking to do another 300 and we’re looking for Frank Miller and Zack to do their thing. …Because we’ve had obviously around the world quite seriously such an amazing journey. It keeps on going. We’re talking about the genius of Frank Miller and Zack Snyder.”

In a separate interview, Snyder confirmed that if “something is cool” they’ll do it (isn’t this Hollywood’s MO right now?)…

“Yeah, I’ve talked to Frank a little bit about it, and he’s going to do something, I think he’s going to draw something. We’ll see what he does. If something’s cool we’ll make a movie out of it,” said Snyder.

There you have it! He’s going to draw something. For over a year, news about a follow-up to the game-changing green screen money maker has floated about the Net. Back in March ‘07, Miller was said to be prepping one, even. As for a storyline, nothing was offered up in these interviews. Previously some readers suggested that “a sequel could be made using 10,000: The Battle of Plataea or the naval Battle of Salamis.” Of note: Snyder is interested in returning, whereas some speculated that Miller—with The Spirit already campaigning hard in Geek Land—would helm.

Up next for Snyder after Watchmen is the animated owl fantasy, Guardians of Ga’Hoole. He also has The Tattooed Man on the burner. He is also quite flabbergasted that some people don’t “get” the commentary that is nippled regalia in Watchmen.

Resurrected Discuss: Uh oh. Some commenters below still feel with a certain passion that 300 was not “historically accurate.”

Four Talking Posters From The Spirit

When I first heard that Yahoo had talking posters from Frank Miller’s The Spirit, I thought to myself “Cool, this is the future of movie marketing”. I mean, eventually one-sheet displays will be replaced with flatscreen televisions which can easily switch in and out various movie posters. Say a screening of The Happening just gets out, the theater can load movie posters of films that people who went to see an M Night movie would also enjoy. As you leave The Dark Knight, posters from other comic book movies would light your path of exit. And this new technology would allow for animated and interactive posters.

So when I clicked over to Yahoo I was very disappointed to find four standard character posters. The talking gimmick is just a gimmick. You move your mouse over a poster and a sound clip from that character is played. Sure, it’s interaction, but pretty lamely executed. I was expecting for the characters to come to life. I was expecting their lips to move. Was I expecting too much? Check out the lameness for yourself on Yahoo. Or you could star at the four posters above and pretend they are saying the superimposed quotes. It’s probably just as good.