Xerxes

Zack Snyder and his "300" co-writer Kurt Johnstad have teamed up once again to write the screenplay for Frank Miller's follow-up miniseries "Xerxes." The "Watchmen" director still hasn't spoken to Gerard Butler about a cameo, but he sat down at San Diego Comic-Con to clarify how "Xerxes" will related to "300" and how he's approaching the new adaptation.

"Yes, I am in fact writing it," Snyder told MTV News. "Kurt and I are writing it right now using Frank [Miller]'s graphic novel that he's creating as our spine, as our jumping off point, as our Bible. Frank came up with a cool story, and it parallels "300" in a really cool way."

Snyder emphasized that the story won't be a true prequel or sequel, since its events coincide with what happened in "300."

"Instead of it being a sequel or a prequel it kind of — Artemesia, which is the battle that it sort of chronicles, takes place on the exact same three days as Thermopylae," he explained.

The overlapping days may also make it possible to bring back Gerard Butler. Though Snyder has yet to issue an invitation, he did indicate that he would like to work him in to the script.

"I gotta talk to [Butler]," he stated. "That would be awesome."

Frank Miller's "Xerxes" miniseries won't be out for a while from Dark Horse, but Zack Snyder has already begun work on the film's screenplay, and his co-writer from "300" Kurt Johnstad has returned for the project, which Snyder says is neither a sequel nor a prequel.

"We closed the writing deal on 'Xerxes.' We started writing about a week ago," Snyder told the Los Angeles Times. "So we're doing it. It's happening."

Snyder hasn't been locked in to direct yet, but he expressed hope that Warner Bros. would bring him back.

"It's really going to depend on what the studio wants to do and what we do when we finish; I don't have a directing deal in place but we are writing it, so call it intent," he explained.

As for the story, Snyder offered a few details, outlining where and when the events in "Xerxes" will occur in relation 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']," Snyder said. "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."

It even sounds like Snyder is leaving the door open for a Gerard Butler cameo, which could be difficult. Nevertheless, if he's writing the screenplay, he'll have the ability to work it in.

And if you're going to pick nits then you shouldn't say that the battle of Thermopylae is a Greek legend, but an historical event.

A minority of historians doubt that the battle of Thermopylae took place at all.

Others acknowledge that Herodotus' account of the battle (on which 300 is based) is ludicrously exaggerated, to the point where it might as well be a legend.

The numbers are absurd; Herodotus claims that there was five thousand Greeks fighting two million six hundreds thousand Persians. Keep in mind, there would have been no way to feed a million strong army back in those days. Modern estimates are around 100 000 Persians opposing between ten and twenty thousand Greeks. Definitely nice odds, but nothing unsurmountable if you have a superior defensive position.

But most importantly, the movie makes it look like the Spartans inflicted serious losses upon the Persians, only lost because of treachery and superior numbers, and inspired the rest of Greece to kick ass. Actually, it is widely believed that the Persians thoroughly thrashed the Greeks at Thermopylae, and it is known that they went on to conquer most of Greece; a somewhat less uplifting message about freedom and democracy.