The first stills from 300: Rise of an Empire, the sequel to Zack Snyder’s highly popular 300, have surfaced and they demonstrate that the film’s director Noam Murro has followed Snyder’s lead in giving the film a visual style that closely resembles Frank Miller’s art work from the Dark Horse-published graphic novels that provide the basis for both films.

 

But in spite of the stylistic similarities and the continuing David vs. Goliath theme as the tiny Greek city states square off against the might of the Persian Empire, there are major differences in the two films.  In 300 it was the heroic band of hardened Spartan warriors who held off the Persian hordes at a narrow mountain pass chokepoint, whereas in Rise of and Empire the focus is on the forces of democratic Athens rather than those of militaristic Sparta, and instead of one concentrated land battle, there are six different naval engagements between the Athenian-led Greek navy that battles against a much larger Persian seagoing force.

 

One of the two stills, which were first published in USA Today, shows the movie’s main character, the Athenian politician/admiral Themistocles, who is played by Sullivan Stapleton.  Themistocles is a very different and more complicated sort of leader than the uncompromising Spartan King Leonidas played by Gerard Butler in 300.  As a political leader in Athens Themistocles has to rally his sea-going forces, which are made up of ordinary citizens, many of whom are not terribly happy about being forced into combat.

 

The sexy Eva Green plays Artemesia, the vengeful leader of the Persian navy, who demonstrates considerable sex appeal as well plenty of ruthless cunning (see "Eva Green in Talks for 'Xerxes' Adaptation").  300: Rise of an Empire is slated to debut nationwide on August 2nd, 2013.