While Dawn of the Dead established Zack Snyder as a filmmaker to watch, it was 300 that put him on the map. The movie grossed over $450 million at the worldwide box office and made an action star out of Gerard Butler.
Reflecting on his role as King Leonidas while discussing his role in Den of Thieves 2: Pantera, Butler told PEOPLE that an "insane" number of actors were injured while shooting the 2006 release.
"I remember every day somebody was getting taken to the hospital," the actor recalled. "You’d be doing a fight, you turn around, there’s a guy down there, a spear went in his eye. Another time, you turn around, there’s a guy over there who just fell, broke his ankle. I mean, it was insane."
While Butler never sustained an injury while shooting 300, he did "almost drown" while shooting 2012 surf drama Chasing Mavericks after "getting taken down by a huge set of waves." He added, "I thought I was done. They had to take me out, take me to hospital, put me out, give me the defibrillator. I mean, it was intense."
Last year, we learned that Warner Bros. Television is teaming with Zack Snyder to develop a 300 TV series. Both parties are said to still be figuring out the creative direction of the show as no writer or platform is attached (Max is surely the most likely destination). However, the idea is for this to be a prequel to the 2006 movie directed by Zack Snyder.
At the time, we learned that Snyder is in talks to direct and executive produce the 300 prequel, marking his first foray into the world of comic books since 2021's Justice League Snyder Cut.
Deborah Snyder, who also executive produced 300, would return in the same role alongside Stone Quarry's Wesley Coller. Fellow 300 producers Gianni Nunnari, Mark Canton, and Bernie Goldmann are all also in discussions with the studio.
The franchise, based on Frank Miller and Lynn Varley's graphic novel, includes two films: 300 and 2014's 300: Rise of an Empire.
300, directed by Zack Snyder, tells the story of the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BC. It follows King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) and his 300 Spartan warriors as they make a valiant stand against the massive Persian army led by King Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro).
We previously learned that Snyder was once developing a 300 sequel, Blood and Ashes, which focuses on Alexander the Great and his second in command, Haphaestion, a project that's part Greek war epic and part gay love story. Warner Bros. passed - around the same time Snyder left Justice League - and the rights have since returned to the director.
Stay tuned for updates as we have them.