rank Miller is writing a graphic novel follow-up to 300 and Warner Brothers is already planning a cinematic adaptation. Sure everyone died in the first movie, but since when did Hollywood skip making a movie because it's a bad idea?

Comic book fans knew that 300 was going to be a big movie, but there was never any guarantee that it would work with the non-geek population. Sure homoerotic macho posturing and gratuitous sex and violence are always successful with general audiences, but without movie stars studios always panic. Much to the surprise of underestimating executives the movie turned out to be a monster hit, bringing in $210,614,939 domestically and $245,453,242 worldwide, plus adding a catch phrase (“This! Is! Sparta!”) to the cultural lexicon. Suddenly potential box office poison transformed into one of the hottest box office properties in Hollywood. A sequel was inevitable. The movie may have been a closed narrative based on historical events, but hey “This! Is! Hollywood!” (sorry, couldn’t resist).

Barely a year after the original destroyed the early-summer competition a 300 follow-up is being discussed. Normally this sort of news would garner little more than groans of disgust, but oddly studios seem to be making some smart decisions this time around. Rather than immediately green-lighting a project and hiring some overpaid hack writers to bang out a script, Warner Brothers’ Legendary Pictures are actually developing the project slowly and doing everything they can to make sure that the key creative figures behind the project return (that would be comic book writer extraordinaire Frank Miller and hotshot director Zack Snyder).

Perhaps even more surprising is the fact that this project wasn’t even originated in Hollywood. The idea came from the mind of Frank Miller himself. Miller has been out of the comic book world for a few years now, trying his hand at filmmaking. But after co-directing Sin City, overseeing the 300 production, and writing/directing The Spirit, Miller has decided to return to the medium that made his name and pen another story in the 300 universe.

The studio is essentially willing to go into the production regardless of the direction that Frank Miller chooses and have already gotten director Zack Snyder involved.

Miller is remaining tightlipped about the actual content of the story. Since virtually the entire cast of 300 met a gruesome demise, a sequel is impossible. A prequel is certainly a possibility, but given the lack of dramatic tension that normally results from a prequel this is unlikely (did you actually see the new Star Wars flicks, I know I snored through them). Miller certainly has a rich Spartan history to draw from, so he will undoubtedly find an interesting angle for the flick.
Snyder came into 300 as a promising young director with a shockingly good Dawn Of The Dead remake under his belt and came out as one of the most desirable directors in Hollywood. He’s currently finishing production on a long awaited cinematic adaptation of Alan Moore’s Watchmen (considered by many to be the War And Peace of comic books) and has considerably more clout this time around. Snyder has made it clear that he’s interested in the project, but is waiting to actually see Miller’s new book before he commits to directing (a wise decision considering Millers recent disappointing follow-up to The Dark Knight Returns).

We’re still weeks or even months away from hearing whether or not this movie will be produced, but considering the sheer volume of sword and sandals pictures that have been developed in Hollywood since the success of 300, it’s hard to imagine that it won’t happen. Even Warner Brothers themselves have a remake of Clash Of The Titans slated to be directed by The Incredible Hulk’s Louis Leterrier. Shirtless dudes with bloody swords will be all over North Americans screens very soon. It’s a great time to be a 12-year-old-boy or a middle aged gay man.