New 300: Rise Of An Empire poster released

A new blood-thirsty poster for '300' sequel '300: Rise of an Empire' has just begun sloshing around the internet.

It shows star Sullivan Stapleton looking a bit grumpy and bruised while a towering wave of claret looms about him.

It's nothing if not striking, and roughly as subtle as what we found in the first movie.

[300 sequel delayed by seven months]

Stapleton plays the Athenian general Themistocles in the swords-and-slaughter sequel, which is based on Frank Miller's graphic novel Xerxes.

Themistocles attempts to unite Greece and Sparta to fight the Persian forces, comprising Xerxes himself (played by Rodrigo Santoro) and Artemisia (Eva Green), the commander of the Persian navy.

The poster precedes the film's first trailer, which arrives tomorrow.

But it's been a long time coming for the sequel to Zack Snyder's pioneering original, this instalment being helmed by Noam Murro.

[First pictures of 300 sequel revealed]

The release date was recently pushed back to March 2014, having initially been slated for release in August this year.

There's been no explanation so far for the schedule shift, but more time to spend on making an effects-heavy epic surely can't be a bad thing.

It also stars Lena Headey from 'Game of Thrones', Hans Matheson, Callan Mulvey and Jack O'Connell.

It's due for release on March 7, 2014.