Zack Snyder reveals he wrote a "final chapter" to 300 but it was rejected by Warner Bros.

300
(Image credit: Warner Bros.)

THIS. IS. DISAPPOINTING.

Zack Snyder has revealed that he wrote a new 300 movie during lockdown – designed to be the "final chapter" in a series that also spawned a sequel, Rise of an Empire, in 2014 – but it was turned down by Warner Bros.

"I just couldn’t really get my teeth into it. 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," Snyder explained to The Playlist.

Away from the brutal spears-and-shields epic tone of the first two movies, the third movie was seemingly going to be more heartfelt – and focused on a gay romance.

"I was writing this thing about Alexander the Great, and it just turned into a movie about the relationship between [general] Hephaestion and Alexander. It turned out to be a love story. So it really didn’t fit in as the third movie," Snyder said.

The movie, entitled Blood and Ashes, is presumably sitting in Snyder’s drawer somewhere. Just don’t expect it to be made anytime soon. After the tumultuous production of Justice League – and Snyder’s recent pointed remarks about the studio – he’s clearly on the outs with Warner Bros. Snyder himself admitted "they’re not huge fans of mine."

The director’s next project, Army of the Dead, is very much alive and hits Netflix on May 21. For more on the zombie heist movie, check out our preview – featuring quotes from Snyder, Dave Bautista, and the rest of the ensemble cast.

Bradley Russell

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at 12DOVE, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.