Zack Snyder (300, Sucker Punch) has started writing the script for the prequel to Frank Miller‘s 300 prequel called Xerxes with his 300 collaborator Kurt Johnstad (The Last Photograph). Snyder says that they closed the writing deal and started writing last week.

Snyder talked to the LATimes and revealed some details on the plot:

“This movie follows Themistocles and the Battle of Artemisium, which coincidentally happens on the exact same three days as the Battle of Thermopylae [which was the basis of ‘300],” Snyder added. “This one starts off with a quick retelling of the why of the Persian wars. It starts off at the Battle of Marathon and then it goes back to Themistocles finding out that Persians are invading again. and off we go over to learn a little bit about why Xerxes is the way he is.”

What I said to the studio is that ‘300’ gave everyone a chance to fight alongside a super warrior, a chance to fight alongside these Spartan warriors that you could never fight against; but Themistocles is different, he is us, It’s much more about the everyman.

Themistocles is kind of the father of democracy. It’s much more about these guys choosing. The Spartans are, ‘We fight, we die,’ so that’s an easy choice for them, there’s no surrender. The cool thing about Themistocles and his gang is that it’s way more difficult. Things aren’t as clear or unchallenged. He has to be more political to get everyone to agree. It’s political, in the soap-opera sense of the word. There’s a relationship with Leonidas … and … well, we’ll see where it all goes.”

On whether or not he will direct Xerxes:

“It’s really going to depend on what the studio wants to do and what we do when we finish; I don’t have a directing deal in place but we are writing it, so call it intent,” Snyder said with a chuckle “If there was a crime they could probably convict me.”

Xerxes is slated to hit theaters in 2011.