Spanish actor Antonio Banderas will star as Hernán Cortés in a new film titled "Cortés," produced by Utopai Studios, a U.S.-based animation and artificial intelligence company. The film is currently in production in Paris.
The project will be directed by French filmmaker Paul Mignot, known for "Vaincre ou mourir," and written by American screenwriter Nicholas Kazan, who wrote "Reversal of Fortune." Both Banderas and Kazan have received Oscar nominations. Banderas was nominated for his role in "Dolor y gloria."
The film centers on Cortés as a soldier driven by ambition who leads an expedition to Yucatán, Mexico, in 1519. According to the film's synopsis, after landing on the coast of present-day Mexico, Cortés encounters Marina, an enslaved indigenous woman and exceptional linguist who becomes essential to his advance. The synopsis notes that as Cortés transforms fragile alliances, faith, and fear into instruments of conquest, Marina observes his transformation.
Utopai Studios will employ artificial intelligence as a production tool in creating the film. The announcement was made on October 12, coinciding with Spain's National Day, which commemorates Christopher Columbus's arrival in the Americas in 1492.
The film is scheduled for release in 2027.