With “Immortals” and “Wrath Of The Titans” on the way, the big screen is not going to be lacking in buffed and greased dudes throwing spears and yelling faux-Shakesperian lines at each other. But “300,” the granddaddy of them all that started this homoerotic, speedramping, historical-sandal-wearing trend, has a sequel on the way and may have found it’s first leading man.
Aussie actor Joel Edgerton,” who broke out internationally with “Animal Kingdom,” and has quickly been padding up his Hollywood CV with films ranging from the slept on “Warrior,” horror redo “The Thing,” the upcoming “The Great Gatsby” and strangely, Disney‘s “The Odd Life Of Timothy Green,” is now in talks for “300: Battle Of Artemisia.” The film will start at the battle of Marathon a decade before the battle at Thermopylae, and will be an epic story spanning ten years. Edgerton is being eyed for the role of Themosticles, the general who led the Greeks in fighting off the invading Persians in 480 BCE. For you movie buffs, Ralph Richardson played the part in the 1962 movie “The 300 Spartans.”
Producer Bernie Goldmann has also hinted that Gerard Butler and Lena Headey may be back to reprise their roles from the first film, in what would be small appearances, though there is no confirmation of that just yet. For Edgerton, this would be another swipe at a tentpole after being thoroughly wasted in “The Thing,” which made the mistake of having him disappear for a good chunk of the opening of the movie. He’s certainly been an actor directors and studio types have been keeping an eye on. Tony Gilroy wanted him for “The Bourne Legacy” and he’s also got Kathryn Bigelow‘s “Kill Bin Laden” on deck.
Noam Murro is directing the picture, which doesn’t have a start date just yet, but will hit theaters sometime in 2013. [Vulture]
