Thanks to EW we have our first look at Eva Green as Artemisia, "the vengeful commander of the Persian navy." As you can see, she looks stunning. She's ready to kick some ass and send some people to hell.
The sequel is being directed by Noam Murro, and the story will have an aquatic setting and follows the Persian king-turned-god Xerxes as he leads an army against Greek forces, who have little training but are under the guidance of the general Themistokles. (The giant battle at the center of this movie is supposed to occur at the same time as the fighting in 300.) The director previously teased the epic size of the sequel saying,
[Rise of an Empire] happens over time in many different locations. The opportunities for the six distinct battles are even greater with different locations and tactics… The few against the many is still here. It’s hundreds vs. hundreds of thousands. It’s about taking on the mightiest power of all with wisdom and tactics.
The film also stars Rodrigo Santoro returning as Xerxes, Sullivan Stapleton, who plays Themistokles, Lena Headey, Hans Matheson, Igal Naor, Callan Mulvey, Jack O'Connell, and Andrew Tiernan. It's set to be released in 2D, 3D, and IMAX and August 2nd, 2013.