Iconic ‘300’ Sequence Altered in First Trailer for ‘300: Rise of an Empire’

If you haven’t seen ‘300’, two things: shame on you, and “spoiler alert”.

As you remember, Leonidas and his muscular fighters succumb to Xerxes’ forces at the end of the movie. Like everything else in Zack Snyder’s epic, the rain of arrows that kills these Spartans is visually striking. Michael Fassbender’s emotional death and the almost religious image of their bodies covered in Persian arrows made the whole thing unforgettable.

I was surprised to see this great ending altered in the first trailer for the sequel ‘300: Rise of an Empire’. The arrows are gone and their bodies untouched! What killed the mightiest army in history? A heat wave?

I guess that they recycled the shot instead of calling these busy actors to do a dead-body cameo. I don’t know why they didn’t use the digital arrows. Was it too obstructive for the new decapitation of Leonidas? Will they appear in the finished film? Is this all a dream so it doesn’t matter?

Well, the most important thing is that the trailer looks great. Take a look at the new stylized carnage directed by Noam Murro and produced by Snyder.

“Based on Frank Miller’s latest graphic novel Xerxes, and told in the breathtaking visual style of the blockbuster “300,” this new chapter of the epic saga takes the action to a fresh battlefield—on the sea—as Greek general Themistokles attempts to unite all of Greece by leading the charge that will change the course of the war. “300: Rise of an Empire” pits Themistokles against the massive invading Persian forces led by mortal-turned-god Xerxes, and Artemisia, vengeful commander of the Persian navy. The action adventure stars Sullivan Stapleton (“Gangster Squad”) as Themistokles and Eva Green (“Dark Shadows,” “Casino Royale”) as Artemisia. Lena Headey reprises her starring role from “300” as the Spartan Queen, Gorgo; Hans Matheson (“Clash of the Titans”) stars as Aeskylos; David Wenham returns as Dilios, and Rodrigo Santoro stars again as the Persian King, Xerxes.”

‘300: Rise of an Empire’ attacks theaters March 7, 2014. Excited?