Smart People director Noam Murro will likely direct 300: Battle of Artemisia for Warner Bros. An official offer is said to go out to the director early next week.

The studio was down to both Noam Murro and Jaume Collet-Serra to direct 300: Battle of Artemisia, which was previously known as Xerxes. Warner Bros. liked both directors, and decided to go with Noam Murro for 300: Battle of Artemisia, while offering the Akira directing gig to Jaume Collet-Serra, which we reported yesterday.

300: Battle of Artemisia is based on the Frank Miller graphic novel which is told from the point of view of Xerxes, the tyrannical ruler who was portrayed by Rodrigo Santoro in 300. 300: Battle of Artemisia spans over hundreds of years, but mainly focuses on the Battle of Artemisia in 480 BC.

300 director Zack Snyder wrote the screenplay for 300: Battle of Artemisia along with Kurt Johnstad. No production schedule was given as of yet.