Antonio Banderas in Conquistador
According to Variety, Antonio Banderas will star in Conquistador, a historical epic which follows the exploits of 16th century explorer Hernan Cortes. Written by Nicholas Kazan (Reversal of Fortune), the movie will be directed by Andrucha Waddington and the shooting will begin in September in Spain, Mexico and South America. The movie’s budget is said to be close to $40 million, the highest ever for a Spanish-language film.
Conquistador tells the story of the expedition that sailed west from Cuba in 1519 in hopes of expanding the Spanish Empire. Cortes and his band of soldiers came upon what is now Mexico and swiftly brought about the destruction of the Aztec empire led by Moctezuma.