Joel Edgerton, an Australian actor, may be the first person to become a cast member in “300: Battle of Artemisia”. He is currently in talks with Warner Bros. for the role. The movie is set to debut in 2013 and is the sequel to “300”.

The film will be directed by Noam Murro, who also directed “Smart People”, and will cover the span of 10 years, although its main focus will be on the same three-day span of time from the last film, but in a different location. It is based on the upcoming graphic novel by Frank Miller entitled “Xerxes”.

In the film, Xerxes has risen to power in fifth century B.C. He is known as “The King of Kings” and seeks to destroy the Greeks who were responsible for the death of his father. Xerxes also wants to become a god, which he accomplishes. Miller stated, “It’s the Battle of Marathon through my lens.”

The Battle of Marathon, in which the film begins, occurred ten years before the Battle of Thermopylae, which the Spartans fought in “300”. However, the Battle of Artemisia was fought simultaneously with the Battle of Thermopylae. Edgerton would play the General Themistocles, who leads Athens in a battle against the Persians.

“The lead character is Themistocles, who became warlord of Greece and built their navy,” Frank Miller said. Mark Canton, one of the movie’s producers, said in regards to the film, “We have to say that Zack Snyder and Kurt Johnstad, his writing partner, have killed it. They’ve done a tremendous job making a highly intelligent, epic story that will stand on its own.

But, it’s not a conventional sequel and, for what we do, that’s what you hope and pray for. That you can be original and authentic at the same time.” Producer Bernie Goldman also hinted at Gerard Butler and Lena Headey returning in the sequel, albeit with small parts, though this has not been confirmed.

Joel Edgerton has previously been in “Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones” and “Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith”. He played a young Owen Lars, Anakin Skywalker’s stepbrother and Luke Skywalker’s uncle, in the films. “Animal Kingdom” was his break-out role that made him known internationally.

Baz Luhrmann’s “The Great Gatsby” and Disney’s “The Odd Life of Timothy Green”, which will both be coming out in 2012, will also feature the actor. He will play the role of Tom Buchanan in “The Great Gatsby” and the part of Jim Green in “The Odd Life of Timothy Green”.

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