A week ago came the news that Stapleton Sullivan had won the role of Xerxes in 300: BATTLE OF ARTEMISIA. Folks, get ready to meet the second banana…
Deadline has it that Jamie Blackley (above) has won the second male lead in BATTLE OF ARTEMISIA. In specific, Blackley will play Calisto, a teen whose desire to become the heroic man/soldier his father was leads the 16 year old to become a leader of a small band of soldiers.
If this Blackley cat doesn’t ring a bell, you’re not alone. The English native has appeared in PROWL and LONDON BOULEVARD, not to mention has SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMEN due this June.
Here’s the gist of the sequel: Artemisia is based on Frank Miller’s upcoming graphic novel that takes Xerxes, the Persian leader who is an antagonist in 300, and turns him into more of a pivotal figure. He’s a man in search of godhood after the death of his father, battling an Athenian warlord named Themistocles. The story takes place over the course of several years, but the focal point is the battle of Artemisium, which occurred in 480 BC.
300’s Lena Headey