Zack Snyder Says Warner Bros. Passed on His Third ‘300’ Movie, an Alexander the Great Romance

“300” was the first movie Zack Snyder made at Warner Bros., and it marked the start of a partnership that lasted 15 years between the filmmaker and the studio. Adapted from Frank Miller and Lynn Varley’s comic book, “300” grossed $456 million worldwide and started a franchise that continued in 2014 with the Snyder co-penned “300: Rise of an Empire.” The sequel underperformed with $337 million worldwide. However, Snyder tells The Playlist that Warner Bros. was apparently interested in continuing the “300” franchise to the point that he wrote a script for the third entry during the pandemic.

“I just couldn’t really get my teeth into it,” Snyder said. “Over the pandemic, I had a deal with Warner Bros. and I wrote what was essentially going to be the final chapter in ‘300.’ But when I sat down to write it I actually wrote a different movie. I was writing this thing about Alexander the Great, and it just turned into a movie about the relationship between Hephaestion and Alexander. It turned out to be a love story. So it really didn’t fit in as the third movie.”

More from IndieWire

• Zack Snyder Says He Banned Chairs from 'Army of the Dead' Set While Juggling Set Roles

• 'Dune' Release Confusion: Warner Bros. Says Denis Villeneuve's Epic Still Set for HBO Max Plan

Snyder did not necessarily deliver the “300” sequel that the studio envisioned, and thus the project was allegedly killed. The filmmaker added, “There was that concept, and it came out really great. It’s called ‘Blood and Ashes,’ and it’s a beautiful love story, really, with warfare. I would love to do it, [WB] said no…you know, they’re not huge fans of mine. It is what it is.”

With his zombie epic “Army of the Dead,” Snyder has made the jump to Netflix and thus his 15-year relationship with Warner Bros. has temporarily come to an end. The friction around the release of Snyder’s “Justice League” soured the relationship between the two parties. Deborah Snyder, Zack’s producer and wife, recently told IndieWire about the advantages of working with Netflix over Warner Bros.

“I got absolutely no information from HBO Max or Warner Bros. None,” Deborah said about the “Justice League” release. “I’m getting a lot more indication [from Netflix about ‘Army of the Dead’], a lot more sharing of information in terms of indicators that are looking good. They won’t be reporting box office because it’s not really about the box office for this — we’re in 600 theaters — but I think the idea was more, this is a big film and they want to eventize it.”

“Army of the Dead” begins streaming May 21 on Netflix.

Best of IndieWire

• 'Demon Slayer: Mugen Train' Is the Year's Biggest Specialty Success and a Bonafide Box Office Hit

• A Filmmaker Asks: I Have a Great Idea. How Do I Make Sure I Don't Get Ripped Off?

• New Movies: Release Calendar for May 14, Plus Where to Watch the Latest Films

Sign up for Indiewire's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.