Frank Miller’s graphic novel 300 is based on the Battle of Thermopylae, a legendary conflict named after a pass in central Greece in 480 BC. The famous last stand involved 300 Spartans led by Leonidas (Gerard Butler in the movie) who held back an army of Persians believed to have numbered in the hundreds of thousands. The Persian army was commanded by Xerxes, the “god like” king of Persia.

Miller was executive producer on the Hollywood version of his novel and Zach Snyder was the director. The live action was filmed in front of a greenscreen with a computer generated background added later. This achieved the comic book style that was intended and, with the use of generally washed out colours, made the blood red of the action scenes stand out vividly.