Claim: Rodrigo Santoro starred in a movie.

300 is a 2006 American epic fantasy war film based on the 1998 comic series of the same name by Frank Miller and Lynn Varley . Both are fictionalized retellings of the Battle of Thermopylae within the Persian Wars . The film was directed by Zack Snyder , while Miller served as executive producer and consultant . It was filmed mostly with a super-imposition chroma key technique , to help replicate the imagery of the original comic book .   The plot revolves around King Leonidas -LRB- Gerard Butler -RRB- , who leads 300 Spartans into battle against the Persian `` god-King '' Xerxes -LRB- Rodrigo Santoro -RRB- and his invading army of more than 300,000 soldiers . As the battle rages , Queen Gorgo -LRB- Lena Headey -RRB- attempts to rally support in Sparta for her husband . The story is framed by a voice-over narrative by the Spartan soldier Dilios -LRB- David Wenham -RRB- . Through this narrative technique , various fantastical creatures are introduced , placing 300 within the genre of historical fantasy . The events are revealed to be a story told by Dilios , the only one of the 300 Spartans to survive the battle .   300 was released in both conventional and IMAX theaters in the United States on March 9 , 2007 , and on DVD , Blu-ray Disc , and HD DVD on July 31 , 2007 . The film received mixed reviews , receiving acclaim for its original visuals and style , but criticism for favoring visuals over characterization and its depiction of the ancient Persians in Iran , a characterization which some had deemed racist ; however , the film was a box office success , grossing over $ 450 million , with the film 's opening being the 24th largest in box office history at the time . A sequel , entitled Rise of an Empire , which is based on Miller 's unpublished graphic novel prequel Xerxes , was released on March 7 , 2014 .