The upcoming sequel to the movie "300" has released 45 still images for the public's perusal. Many fans are excited for the sequel, as they get to see the epic battle between the Persians and Greeks unfold once more. The 2006 war film "300" amassed a staggering amount of $456, 068,181 in the box office, making it one of the largest grossing films of all time. Can the sequel, "300: Rise of an Empire" top its 2006 predecessor?

Directed by Noam Murro, the sequel will feature the likes of Sullivan Stapleton, Eva Green, Lena Headey, Hans Matheson, David Wenham, Rodrigo Santoro, Igal Naor, Callan Mulvey, Jack O'Connell and Andrew Tiernan. It is not sure whether lead star Gerard Butler is going to be featured in the sequel.

The movie installments are based on Frank Miller's graphic novel, "Xerxes" where the epic battle of Thermopylae in the Persian Wars is recounted. The new chapter to the saga primarily focuses on the action that happens on the sea, as the fierce Greek general Themistokles (Sullivan Stapleton) attempts to consolidate the whole of Greece to change the course of the war. In the upcoming sequel, the Greek General Themistokles has to battle it against the mortal-turned-god Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro) and Artemisia (Eva Green), the vengeful general who commands the Persian army.

Fans' long wait will finally come to an end on March 7, 2014 as the "300: Rise of an Empire" shall be officially shown in major cinemas. It took a total of 7 years for a sequel to the blockbuster 2006 hit to come to fruition. Many fans have been asking what really took so long for the sequel to be produced. According to Crave Online, one plausible reason for the long years of wait is that the producers have been waiting for comic artist Frank Miller to produce a comic in which they could base the sequel. The comic artist failed to deliver; hence, only after 7 years did the producers go on their own way to create the sequel.

Fans have also been casting doubt on director Noam Murro's credibility in directing the movie, as he only has one feature low-budget comedy film, "Smart People," under his belt.

Check out the 45 video stills of the most anticipated movie here: "300: Rise of an Empire Unleashes 45 New Stills"