He didn't think people would base a movie on ancient Greek propaganda

Going by the title I'd assume the Persians.

Most of those positives would be Darius the Great, though his son Xerxes is more often used in popular culture, since he was king during the battle of Thermopylae.

It's Cyrus the Great. I was thinking Hammurabi or Darius at first, but Cyrus the Great is the only one that did everything listed, and the 2500 years later is roughly today.

That makes sense, too.