Joel Edgerton is being pulled in a number of different directions right now. The Aussie actor catapulted to fame with last year's Animal Kingdom, but since has been struggling to find his way as a leading man here in America. Warrior turned out to be a dud, despite featuring a popular sport and critical acclaim. The Thing bombed, but that was hardly his fault. So while his box office cred is still in question, that hasn't stopped studios from pursuing him vigorously. One of the films he was recently circling was 300: Battle of Artemisia, a prequel to the Zack Snyder hit, directed by Smart People's Noam Murro. It looks like Edgerton has decided to pursue something else entirely, as Variety's Jeff Sneider reports that he's turned the gig down.
No reason is given, but maybe it means he's decided to star in Kathryn Bigelow's Kill Bin Laden? He was the first name mentioned for the Navy Seal flick, but recent casting announcements have left his name off the list. It's always possible he'll take one of the lead roles in The Man From U.N.C.L.E., even though Steven Soderbergh just left the project. Or maybe he just thinks like I do that a 300 prequel is a sucky idea and he'd rather do something more stimulating.
I'm sure we'll find out what's up in the next day or so. Edgerton is currently filming The Great Gatsby for Baz Luhrmann, and will be seen soon in The Odd Life of Timothy Green. As for 300, that leaves them still at square one, with nothing but a script by Frank Miller and Zack Snyder. Gerard Butler and Lena Headey have been rumored to reprise their roles from the first film, but nothing is set in stone.
