The Crow director Alex Proyas takes over Antonio Banderas’ conquistador epic mid-shoot

Here we go, another chapter in the endless parade of historical epics about real people you sort of remember from GCSE textbooks. But this one does at least come with a surprising bit of movie trivia attached. Alex Proyas – yes, the bloke who directed The Crow back in the 90s and the sort-of infamous Gods of Egypt – is stepping in to direct a grand-scale film about Hernán Cortés. And if you thought the backstory on this production couldn’t get any juicier, wait till you hear who’s playing the man himself: Antonio Banderas, swinging swords and probably monologuing in a dodgy helmet.

Filming on Cortés kicked off in Paris and Spain a few weeks back, with Banderas leading as the infamous conquistador.

Originally, French director Paul Mignot was meant to be at the helm, but for reasons the official blurbs haven’t spelled out, he’s handed over the director’s chair to Proyas, though he’s still involved behind the scenes. The script comes from Nicholas Kazan – that’s an Oscar-nominated writer for those keeping count – and apparently it’s been knocking about in development limbo for years. Must’ve been some rewrite process, that.

A Not-Exactly-Subtle Take on Conquest

If you’re expecting a straightforward ride through dusty battlefields, think again. Proyas says he’s telling the whole thing largely through the eyes of Marina, an enslaved Indigenous woman who ends up as Cortés’ translator – and, by necessity, his partner in both survival and power plays. Her perspective lets the story dig into just how Cortés twisted faith, fear, and five different types of political scheming to bulldoze his way across Mexico. Bold of them, really, to admit Cortés is every bit as ‘visionary and ruthless’ as you probably imagine. Apparently the line between hero and villain is going to be blurry from minute one.

The plot kicks off in 1519: Cortés, allegedly just out for some glory, grabs command in Cuba and promptly ignites a massive headache for his superiors by sailing off, permission be damned, to the Yucatán. Once they land, Marina’s knack for languages turns out to be the secret weapon that lets Cortés build – or bully – his way up the food chain with alliances, religion, cult-like pageantry and, when that fails, good old-fashioned violence. If you like your historical figures conflicted, this one’s practically dripping with it.

Cast, Crew, and Some Honestly Bizarre Tech

• Director: Alex Proyas (The Crow, Gods of Egypt)
• Star: Antonio Banderas as Hernán Cortés
• Screenwriter: Nicholas Kazan
• Original Director: Paul Mignot (still attached in a secondary capacity)
• Perspective: Story is largely seen through Marina (Enslaved Indigenous translator)
• Production: Utopai Studios and Ex Machina Studios co-financing and producing
• Distribution: K5 International selling to Europe, Latin America, Australia, NZ; Utopai Studios keeping North America, Asia, and the rest

What’s wild is the production’s not-so-subtle talk about ‘AI-enabled’ filmmaking. Apparently, their technical approach is going to use artificial intelligence to give those sprawling historical sequences a bit more visual ambition (and save a quid or two on extras and sets, presumably). It’s also not the first go-round for Proyas and producer Marco Weber with these techniques – they’ve already tested the waters together with a film called Heaven, which is set to land in cinemas in 2027.

Proyas himself couldn’t resist hyping it up, giving this glowing (and slightly sci-fi) take on how the AI magic is changing his toolbox:

Here’s how Alex Proyas framed the new tech: ‘My collaboration with Marco and the Ex Machina team on Heaven has opened up exhilarating new possibilities for cinematic storytelling, allowing us to bring this extraordinary world to life on a scale and with a visual ambition that would once have been unimaginable.’

And finally, in case you’re keeping track of the business side, the announcement comes just as the film heads to the American Film Market. That’s where K5 will try to flog it to international buyers, making sure Cortés gets a proper rollout across pretty much every territory that hasn’t already had its fill of conquistador stories for one lifetime.