The classic action movie 300 transformed Gerard Butler’s Hollywood career and just may be the peak of his extensive filmography. 300 was released in the United States on March 9, 2007, and became the tenth highest-grossing movie of that year, earning $456 million worldwide against a production budget of $60 million. The epic action film was only Zack Snyder’s second feature directorial effort following his breakout 2004 horror film Dawn of the Dead. The success and cultural impact of 300 led Snyder to take on other massive blockbusters such as Watchmen (2009), Man of Steel (2013), and Justice League (2017).

The impressive box office performance of 300 inspired a sequel in 2014, although Snyder did not direct 300: Rise of an Empire. A 300 prequel series has recently been reported to be in the works at Warner Bros, with Snyder rumored to be attached. Following the lackluster critical reception of Rebel Moon, Snyder’s latest action franchise with Netflix, Snyder plans to expand his Army of the Dead movie from 2021 with a feature film sequel and a television series, Army of the Dead: Lost Vegas. Although Butler never reprised his role as King Leonidas due to the ending of 300, his performance left an indelible impact on the trajectory of his career.

Gerard Butler Was Not A Leading Action Star Prior To 300

Butler acted in a variety of dramas, romances, and other genres

Butler made his feature film debut in 1997’s Mrs. Brown, a period drama starring Judi Dench and Billy Connolly that was nominated for 2 Academy Awards. Butler starred in several dramas throughout the 1990s and early 2000s until he broke into the action genre in 2003’s Lara Croft: Tomb Raider – The Cradle of Life alongside Angelina Jolie. Butler continued starring in dramas and romantic films such as Dear Frankie (2004) and The Phantom of the Opera (2004) before appearing as Beowulf in 2005’s Beowulf & Grendel. Once 300 was released, Butler became a global sensation known best for his unforgettable portrayal of King Leonidas.

Before the release of 300, Butler was considered to be a versatile actor with a wide range and a leading man in dramas, romances, and action movies. Once 300 skyrocketed Butler to international acclaim, he would inevitably be linked to the action genre for the rest of his career. Butler’s fame led him to star in a slate of romantic comedies as well, such as P.S. I Love You (2007) with Hilary Swank, The Ugly Truth (2009) with Katherine Heigl, and The Bounty Hunter (2010) with Jennifer Aniston. Most of his comedies were ripped apart by critics, indicating that a return to the action genre would be best for Butler’s career.

300’s Massive Success Brought Worldwide Attention

Butler starred in action thrillers such as Gamer and Law Abiding Citizen

Gerard Butler became an internationally recognized leading man following the release of 300, which essentially cemented his role in the action genre for years to come. He immediately starred in the 2008 action thriller RocknRolla which was written and directed by Guy Ritchie, a legendary action filmmaker, before starring in the psychological action thriller Gamer and the action crime thriller Law Abiding Citizen alongside Jamie Foxx in 2009. He also voiced the character named Stoick in the celebrated Dreamworks animated adventure movie How to Train Your Dragon in 2010.

Butler then starred in the underrated 2011 war thriller Coriolanus alongside Ralph Fiennes and went on to star in several action movies throughout the 2010s, such as Machine Gun Preacher (2011), Olympus Has Fallen (2013), Gods of Egypt (2016), London Has Fallen (2016), Geostorm (2017), Den of Thieves (2018), Hunter Killer (2018), and Angel Has Fallen (2019). While virtually none of these films seemed to win over critics, several of them turned out to be box office successes and are among the highest-grossing movies of his career. London Has Fallen and Geostorm both made $206 million worldwide.

Butler’s Performance As King Leonidas Is The Actor At His Best

Few actors could match Butler’s intensity as King Leonidas

Butler’s streak of starring in action movies has continued into the 2020s with the disaster action thriller Greenland (2020), the conspiracy action thriller Last Seen Alive (2022), and the 2023 action thrillers Plane and Kandahar. Butler has shown zero sign of slowing down as a leading man in action movies. He will reprise his role as ‘Big Nick’ O’Brien in the highly anticipated Den of Thieves sequel titled Den of Thieves 2: Pantera, which is expected to be released in early 2025. He will also reprise his role as Stoick in the live-action adaptation of How to Train Your Dragon, which is also slated for a 2025 release date.

On top of all that, Butler will reprise his role in a Greenland sequel called Greenland: Migration, adding yet again another action movie to his expanding filmography. Even though Butler is doubling down on some of his more recent successful action franchises, his legendary performance as King Leonidas in 300 will be difficult for him to beat throughout the rest of his career. While his performance in 300 met the exaggerated energy of the over-the-top action epic, few actors could capture the same intensity as convincingly as Butler did, which makes it his all-time greatest performance.

Butler Became Typecasted In The Genre But Never Replicated His Work On 300

Butler plans to reprise several roles in upcoming action movies

Following the success of 300, Butler became one of the most in-demand action stars in Hollywood. Naturally, Butler’s incredibly busy schedule likely hindered his availability to appear in 300: Rise of an Empire, which notably also did not have Snyder returning to direct. Butler spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about the 300 sequel, saying “I wasn’t really available to do 300. It was hard to work out the dates,” Butler says. “I think that’s going to be a great movie, and I love that team of people. 300 was my most special moment … it was my bar mitzvah.”

It might be for the best that Butler became more of a versatile leading man within the action genre rather than trying to recapture the iconic passion and intensity of 300 in his future projects. Butler also didn’t completely abandon appearing in rom-coms after 2010’s The Bounty Hunter, starring in Playing for Keeps alongside Jessica Biel in 2012. He also starred in the 2016 drama A Family Man, but other than that, Butler has mainly stuck to the action genre, where he has become quite comfortable. While it would be monumental for Butler to reprise his 300 role at some point, some iconic films are best left in their place in history.