Pay attention, class. Who was Hernan Cortes? No, he’s not the latest Latin love interest to slink around the Desperate Housewives plot lines. He’s the Spanish explorer who conquered the Aztec empire in 1519.
And now he will get a screen incarnation in the form of Antonio Banderas. The Desperado himself has signed on to Conquistador, which tells the tale of Cortes’ fateful voyage from Cuba to what is now called Mexico on a mission to expand the Spanish Empire. He and his soldiers encountered legendary rule Moctezuma (AKA Montezuma, trivia buffs) and his mighty Aztec warriors. And, um, slaughtered them.
Brazilian helmer Andrucha Waddington will call the shots in September, with filming in Spain, Mexico and South America. He’ll be working from a script by Nicholas Kazan (Reversal Of Fortune). The film will be shot in Spanish, with some dialogue in native languages Mayan and Nahuatl.
Banderas, meanwhile, has plenty to keep him busy. He’s out promoting ballroom-meets-hip-hop pic Take The Lead, editing his second directorial effort El Camino De Los Ingleses (The Road Of The English) and stuffing his throat with hairballs to record more voice work for Shrek’s Puss In Boots.