Persian Aspersions
Posted in General on March 24th, 2010 by Eugene Finerman – 2 CommentsProducer Zack Snyder confirmed that Frank Miller’s Xerxes is almost certainly headed screenwards. It will be a prequel to “300”.
Washington can’t reason with Iran, but perhaps Hollywood can terrorize it. Yes, if Iran does not immediately disarm and shave, the world will see “Xerxes”. Iran hardly appreciated the first film, a snuff cartoon which depicted the ancient Persians as manical hermaphroditic mutants. That unique perspective poses a challenge for the sequel: how to make the Persians look any worse. (The public will expect that.)
Furthermore, there is a little problem with history. Prior to his botched invasion of Greece in 480 B.C., Xerxes had a relatively uneventful life. He did not kill his father or any inconvenient brothers to attain throne. Indeed, to the chagrin of the scriptwriters, Xerxes led a G-rated personal life: devoted son, affectionate brother, loving father. His obituary would have been telling the truth. Hollywood will have to change that!
Of course, Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad can denounce the film as a monstrous lie, but he said the very same about the Holocaust, 9/11 and the doubts that he received less than 200 percent of the votes in his last election. At least to be consistent, he will simply deny that there was a Persian Empire.