The 2006 film based on the Battle of Thermopylae is 300. Directed by Zack Snyder, it adapts Frank Miller and Lynn Varley’s 1998 graphic novel, which itself is a stylized retelling of the ancient battle.
The film follows King Leonidas of Sparta, played by Gerard Butler, as he leads 300 Spartan warriors against the invading Persian army of King Xerxes. Its visual style, heightened violence, and fantastical imagery made it a major popular-culture interpretation of Thermopylae, even though it takes substantial liberties with history.
A common mix-up is The 300 Spartans, a different film released in 1962. Both movies dramatize the same battle, but the question asks for the 2006 release, whose title is simply 300. The modern film also emphasizes the Spartan contingent while giving less attention to the thousands of other Greek soldiers who fought at the pass. The real battle ended in a Persian victory, although the Greek stand became one of history’s most enduring examples of military sacrifice.