THEN AND NOW: The cast of '300,' 16 years later

Without the council's consent, and against the instructions of Sparta's mystical priests, King Leonidas leads 300 soldiers into battle against King Xerxes and his massive Persian army. 

While Leonidas and his soldiers successfully fend off several waves of Persian soldiers, they are eventually defeated, succumbing to a wave of arrows. 

Since "300," Butler has appeared in (or voiced characters for) more than 30 movies, including "P.S. I Love You," "Greenland," and "How to Train Your Dragon."

The actor also starred in a trilogy of films — "Olympus Has Fallen," "London Has Fallen," and "Angel Has Fallen" — as Mike Banning, a highly-skilled former Army Ranger-turned-Secret Service agent. 

Butler has at least nine projects in the works, including the film sequel "Greenland: Migration," costarring Morena Baccarin, and the action thriller "Kandahar." 

After King Leonidas leaves for battle, Queen Gorgo attempts to convince councilman Theron to help her win enough votes from the council to send the Spartan army to support her husband's war efforts against the Persian empire.  

The queen stabs Theron in front of the council after he falsely accuses her of trying to seduce him and another council member. 

While Headey has kept busy with film and TV work since "300," her most notable roles include playing Sarah Connor in the TV series "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" and HBO's smash hit "Game of Thrones" as Cersei Lannister. 

Headey has at least six projects currently in the works, including the film "Crooks," costarring Juno Temple, and the superhero TV show "New-Gen." 

Dilios is the film's narrator and a member of King Leonidas' 300 soldiers who go to battle with the Persian army.

Once Leonidas realizes defeat is inevitable, he sends Dilios back to Sparta to deliver an unspoken message to Queen Gorgo and tell citizens about their valiant fight.  

In the film's grand finale, Dilios leads the Spartan army, as well as 30,000 free Greek soliders, against the Persians in a battle where they are outnumbered three to one. 

Since "300," Wenham has appeared in projects like Baz Luhrmann's 2008 film "Australia," the Netflix series "Iron Fist," and "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales."

His most recent project was the 2022 animated film "Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind," in which he played the iconic video-game character Kano.  

Theron is a councilman who vies for the throne.

He sleeps with Queen Gorgo, promising her that by doing so, he will rally the necessary votes from the council to send the rest of the Spartan army to support Leonidas. 

After betraying the queen in front of the council, the queen stabs and kills him. 

Although West took on roles in movies like "Hannibal Rising" (2007) and "Tomb Raider" (2018), the actor has found more success on the small screen. 

In the critically acclaimed TV series "The Wire," West starred as Det. Jimmy McNulty for five seasons.

He starred nearly six years later in "The Affair" for another five seasons as Noah Solloway, a novelist who has an affair with a woman that must deal with the long-term consequences.

West recently starred as Prince Charles in season 5 of "The Crown" and portrayed Dr. Chris Cox in the series "Brassic." 

Stelios is a member of King Leonidas' 300 soldiers who cuts off the arm of a Persian messenger early on.

He plays a pivotal role in Leonidas' final battle against the Persians before perishing. 

Fassbender's career has taken off since "300." He starred as Steve Jobs in the critically acclaimed 2015 biopic "Steve Jobs," played the iconic comic-book character Magneto in four X-Men films, and appeared in two movies in the "Alien" franchise: "Prometheus" and "Alien: Covenant."

His turn in "Steve Jobs" earned him Golden Globe and Oscar nods for best actor. Fassbender also received Golden Globe and Oscar nominations for his supporting role in the 2013 film "12 Years a Slave." 

The actor has at least three projects in development, including "The Killer," costarring Tilda Swinton, and "Next Goal Wins," with Elizabeth Moss and Will Arnett. 

After King Xerxes' offer to join the Persian empire is rebuffed by Leonidas, the Persian king threatens to destroy Sparta.

He grows increasingly angry as Leonidas and his soldiers fend off wave after wave of Persian fighters.  

Xerxes offers the hunchback Ephialtes women and wealth in exchange for invaluable information about a secret path that will, strategically, help lead to the defeat of Leonidas and his soldiers. 

Santoro, who reprised the role of Xerxes in the sequel "300: Rise of an Empire," has juggled TV and movie projects in the years since.

In 2006, he joined the popular series "Lost" during its third season.

With the personal blessing of Pope Francis, Santoro played Jesus in the 2016 film "Ben-Hur" before appearing in the critically acclaimed show "Westworld."

The actor currently appears in the fantasy series "Wolf Pack," alongside Sarah Michelle Gellar, as park ranger Garrett Briggs. 

A friend of King Leonidas, the captain rallies 300 Spartan soldiers to fight the Persian army.

After his son Astinos is killed in battle with the Persians, the captain breaks rank and kills several Persian soldiers. 

He is stabbed with a spear and killed in King Leonidas' final battle with the Persian army. 

Regan has appeared in a slew of TV shows since "300," from "Poirot" and "The Royals," to "The Bay."

He most recently appeared in "Luther: The Fallen Sun," starring Idris Elba and Cynthia Erivo. 

The actor has three projects currently in the works, including "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom," with Jason Momoa.