Themistocles also learns that Leonidas has marched to fight the Persians with only 300 men. Her lust for vengeance gained the attention of King Darius and he made her a naval commander after she killed many of his enemies. She was rescued and adopted by a Persian emissary. She was taken as a sex slave and subsequently left for dead in the streets. Themistocles later reunites with his old friend Scyllias, who infiltrated the Persian troops and learned Artemisia was born Greek, but defected to Persia as her family was raped and murdered by Greek hoplites. Themistocles then travels to Sparta to ask King Leonidas for help, but is informed by Dilios that Leonidas is consulting the Oracle, and Gorgo is reluctant to side with Athens. He returns to Persia and declares war on Greece to avenge his father.ДЄs Xerxes's forces advance towards Thermopylae, Themistocles meets with the council and convinces them to provide him with a fleet to engage the Persians at the sea. Xerxes finally reaches a cave and bathes in an otherworldly liquid, emerging as the 8-foot tall 'God-King'. Darius's naval commander, Artemisia, claims that Darius' last words were, in fact, a challenge and sends Xerxes on a journey through the desert.

Darius's son, Xerxes, witnesses his father's death and is advised to not continue the war since 'only the gods can defeat the Greeks'. Queen Gorgo of Sparta tells her men about the Battle of Marathon, in which King Darius of Persia was killed by General Themistocles of Athens ten years earlier. It grossed over $337 million worldwide from a $110 million budget. The film was released to mixed reviews, with critics praising the action sequences, music, cinematography, visual effects and Green's performance but criticizing the story and overstylized gore.

The film's score was composed by Junkie XL, being the first film in an ongoing partnership with Snyder. It was released in 3D and IMAX 3D on March 7, 2014. The cast includes Lena Headey, Peter Mensah, David Wenham, Andrew Tiernan, Andrew Pleavin, and Rodrigo Santoro reprising their roles from the first film, alongside Sullivan Stapleton, Eva Green, Hans Matheson, and Callan Mulvey. It is a sequel to the 2007 film 300, taking place before, during, and after the main events of that film, and is loosely based on the Battle of Artemisium and the Battle of Salamis.

300: Rise of an Empire is a 2014 American epic action film directed by Noam Murro and written and produced by Zack Snyder.

300 rise of an empire movie cast